Girls Wild Rise: Endangered Warfare
by SeekerMeeker
Summary: [Standalone sequel to "Girls Dead Rise: War of California"] Miho and her friends journey to a new land, where they face trials, tribulations, and even truths unlike anything they had ever seen or learned. Senshadou will never be the same again; indeed, it will be reborn in a way that nobody will expect. Fantasy twist on GuP! [GuP is the property of Actas, but I own the OC's.]
1. Chapter 1: Crossing the Ocean

**Greetings!**

 **I am SeekerMeeker, and for** **anyone who is** **curious, this is a standalone sequel to "Girls Dead Rise: War of California"!**

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 **This means that you DO NOT have to read my previous story, in order to understand what's going on; the first few chapters will give enough details to cover most of my previous story. Consider that story as a PREQUEL to this one! However, if you are curious, feel free to read it.**

 **So, I have been a fan of "Girls und Panzer" for quite a while. Strangely, it was partly due to this that I got into writing, and here I am...doing this!**

 **A fantasy version of "Girls und Panzer," which most other writers don't do, so expect the unexpected!**

* * *

 **Plus, at the end of this chapter, I have a TABLE OF CONTENTS, detailing which chapters compose specific "story arcs."  
**

 **(This is for anyone who wants to know more about what's going on.)**

 **So, let's go, panzer vor!**

* * *

 **Girls Wild Rise**

 **Endangered Warfare**

 **By SeekerMeeker**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Crossing the Ocean**

 **San Sanderson Pier**

 **Santa Barbara County, CA, USA**

 **7:00 AM; October 8, 20XX**

* * *

"After that...apocalypse...ended, we thought we'd be back to our homes, our families, our old lives...But, we were wrong. Now we are on the run, trying to keep the last glimmer of hope and freedom we have left."

* * *

The golden sun blazed over the bluish-black cliffs, towering over the silver-white waves that clawed at its metallic edges. The azure-blue sky stayed still, as the vermilion-red flowers on the coast waved in the warming wind, the golden sand glittering on the serene beach below.

A tall, slim girl sighed, despite smiling at the sun rising above the morning horizon. Her old seifuku uniform shone a dull green and white, stained with dirt and residue from living in the wild for days on end. She inspected and sniffed her clothing, giggled, and then sighed.

"Ah," she noted. "It seems that we need new clothing, again."

However, she smiled, gazing at the beautiful sun. Its warm, golden rays of light radiated on her face, giving her a sense of calm...and courage.

"At least we're still alive," she said out loud, as the waves crashed into the shore, and the October wind blew cool and fresh. "And free...but for how long? It's been days, maybe 40? But why are we-"

"Miporin!"

"Miho-san!"

"Nishizumi-dono!"

"Miho..."

Four voices called out all at once from a distance, snapping her out of her trance. Nishizumi Miho turned around in the direction of the calls.

"Coming!" she replied, running towards her friends, the golden sand flicking from behind her.

 _Rip!_

"Oh..." she noted, giggling a little as she stopped to unbutton her uniform. "Oh well, we need to get new clothing. Even our powers cannot fix this for long."

She continued to run, and in only a few seconds reached her friends, as they were struggling to launch a boat, with an extra-heavy cargo onboard.

"Man!" an orange-haired girl groaned. "It's one thing to lift a boat, but one with a tank?!"

Miho giggled, but understood her words. They were not only trying to launch a boat, but also launching their favorite tank.

"You know," a tall, elegant girl said calmly, although she grunted a little as she helped with pushing the boat. "This is all to save something precious to us."

"Of course!" a tomboyish girl with a fluffy mass of hair squealed. "After parting from it for so long, we don't wanna lose it again! Especially not since the apocalypse ended!"

The others nodded in silent agreement, except the shortest girl.

"But yeah," the short girl grunted nonchalantly, weakly helping. "I agree, but saving our prized tank...is it worth it?"

The others then looked at Miho, who giggled.

"Yes," she replied, as she lent her hands. She and her four friends-her four teammates-all were trying to push their boat unto the waters.

"Heave ho!" all five cried out and, after a few pushes, successfully launched the boat unto the sea, except anchored with a rope to a lonely wooden pole nearby. The shortest girl sat down, panting, while the others wiped their sweats from their foreheads.

"Good!" Miho said. "How are the ropes and the binds?"

"They are great!" the fluffy-haired girl cried out, as she and the redhead both jumped unto the boat. Both proceeded to check the binds...well, just the redhead.

"This is so great!" the fluffy-haired girl yelled, rubbing her left cheek against their tank. "Our Panzer IV ausf. H., but now more advanced!"

"And bigger!" the redhead grunted, struggling with one rope. "And will you stop that, Yukarin? Yes, it still looks like our old tank, but it's way bigger, and way HEAVIER!"

She stopped at her own words, then looked down at her own body.

"Miporin," she blurted out. "Am I fat?"

* * *

Miho shook her head and giggled awkwardly, but she understood what she was talking about. Miho and all four of her friends were now part of something called the "Chosen Ones." A strange group of people who appeared since the so-called "Fall of California" about three months ago, the Chosen Ones were a popular term referring to these superhero-like mutant humans, who somehow gained unusual powers that allowed them to defeat the zombies. However, since the apocalypse abated, the Chosen Ones were branded more as "fugitives" who were rounded up like criminals.

* * *

Miho then looked down at herself, then at others.

The redhead was **Takebe Saori** , who complained about feeling "fat," which to her was basically a little too buxom and too muscular. The fluffy-haired girl, who apparently loved tanks, was **Akiyama Yukari**. The tallest of them was **Isuzu Hana** , who maintained a calm, ladylike demeanor. The laziest of them, and the shortest, was **Reizei Mako** , who had a habit of either sleeping, or yawning.

"You mean more robust," said Mako nonchalantly.

"I prefer slim!" Saori pouted.

"Maybe between that?" suggested Hana.

"How about robust-slim?" Yukari joined in.

"Girls," Miho said, giggling awkwardly at the girls' antics. "We know that we're different, now that we're Chosen. But let's worry about what being 'Chosen' is really later; our tank is now a little bigger than the M1 Abrams tank, which is why it took us a while to even find a boat that can carry one."

"Plus, its guns are bigger!" Yukari squealed, as she caressed the tank.

Miho giggled, nervous at her words.

"And heavier!" Saori grunted. "What is this, a Maus?"

"No," Miho corrected her. "It feels like it's about the same weight as the Abrams."

"So, our tank has the appearance of Panzer, but is really an Abrams?" suggested Saori.

"It's just a bigger version of Panzer!" Yukari replied, gawking at her friend's suggestion.

"No, it has the soul of Abrams, and the body of Panzer," Saori said.

Yukari pouted.

"It's still a tank," Miho said, stopping the girls' conversation altogether. "We'll think about that later; what we need to do now..."

She looked around, her enhanced senses on full alert. The others looked at her, and understood.

"Saori-san, Hana-san, Yukari-san, and Mako-san," she said with a serious, clear voice. "Get ready."

 **She stretched out her right arm to her side, her hand's fingers moving as if playing with something. Sparks of golden and light magenta light started to flicker, then appear rapidly en masse. The lights then fused together, solidifying into a single, giant weapon. Miho then swung it around, as if it was an antique, valuable sword, which it was.**

"A chainsaw, shaped like one giant sword," Yukari squealed with delight. "Awesome!"

"Get your weapon ready, Yukarin!" Saori admonished her, as she flicked both of her hands, instead of just one (unlike the others, she liked to give nicknames. She often called Yukari "Yukarin," while she labeled Miho as "Miporin"). Two clouds of vermilion-red lights appeared, and like Miho's, formed into weapons. Two glittering, brilliant-red fans made of sharp blades flicked in her hands.

"The beauty of Saori," Saori said to herself dreamily, flapping the fans to her face as she turned to look at the tall girl. "How are they, Hana-san?"

"Do not be distracted, please," Hana said calmly, as she waved her right hand. An elongated cloud of shiny-blue lights appeared, and soon formed into a long naginata, complete with vines surrounding the blade and pole.

"It sure is good to be Chosen," Yukari noted, clenching her fists. Clouds of silver-white lights appeared, turning into plate-like projections that soon formed into a pair of gigantic, robotic gauntlets, which looked more fit on a fighting robot than on a human girl. She then flexed them, grinning at them.

The shortest girl, however, did nothing and yawned.

"Mako!" Saori admonished her firmly. "Summon your weapon; you're Chosen, just like us!"

"Oh boy," Mako groaned. "I wish that we're back to normal."

Stretching, she then flicked both of her hands. Two bluish-black clouds formed on her hands, but appeared differently. On her right, it lengthened and solidified into a whip-like sword, which wrapped around her hand like a bandage. On her left, the cloud expanded and formed into a giant, tortoiseshell-like shield, complete with spikes all around the edges like that of an ankylosaur.

 **"Me too," Miho answered, sighing. "However, when the apocalypse ended for good, we still retained our powers. And that's why we're launching our boat; our only choice now is to go to that island."**

"Yes," Mako moaned. "And let's hope that we can get our normal lives back there..."

Now, all five girls were armed, and made a half-circle around their boat. Miho pulled a string from her chainsaw.

 _Bzz..._

 _Whirl-whirl-whirl-bzzzzzzz!_

The sword-shaped chainsaw blared with energy, sparks of golden and light magenta light flying around. Saori posed with her fans, like a dancer. Hana calmly raised her naginata, while Yukari posed like a boxer with her giant gauntlets. Mako, however, hid behind her giant shield, with her urumi snaking around like a cobra ready to strike.

Since the apocalypse, the Chosen Ones were also distinct from human beings in their special tools and weapons. Known as the Hands of God, because they were thought to be from God or Heaven, the weapons were another visible mark of distinction. Each Chosen One had a distinct type of weapon, or a set of tools.

"Boy!" Saori suddenly pouted.

"Hmm?" Miho reacted with a start.

 **"Have to admit," she sighed, lowering her fans and loosening her pose a little. "Mako is right; look, we've been through not one, but FOUR crazy things! First, against all odds, we won the 63rd National High School Senshadou Tournament, in order to secure our school. Then, against all odds once again, we won the annihilation match against the Selection University. Next, we survived the zombie apocalypse, which struck our Senshadou Parade just as we were about to showcase our teams to the American audience. And now, we destroyed the source of that freaky apocalypse, the Orb!"**

 **Miho nodded. She and her team were the ones who recovered their tank, and renovated it into a bigger, stronger version of itself. Indeed, Chosen Ones also not only seemed to have the power to destroy, but also the power to heal and repair. Plus, they used their tank to fire a specially charged shell, and long story short, helped to stop the apocalypse once and for all.**

"And now," Hana chimed in. "We are on the run. Not only the US government, but multiple foreign forces are now cooperating with native forces to track down and capture us Chosen Ones."

"For what crimes?" Yukari retorted, messing with her fluffy hair, as her gloves covered her scalp. " **The crime of being Chosen?!** "

All five girls sighed in unison. She was semi-right; they spent their days in California sort of like fugitives. Mostly living in the wildernesses, the girls resorted to hunting and gathering, and moonlighted as "random helpers," who assisted sympathetic Americans. In return for helping them, such as cleaning the lawns or delivering something valuable, the girls got food and supplies, which they gathered into crates, chests, and anything they could salvage. Pretty much, the girls spent 40 days or maybe longer, just to prepare for this one boat launch.

"Senshadou," Miho said. "That was the whole reason we came, and then this happened. We lost Senshadou, when we lost our tanks."

She then jumped up to the bridge, still on alert. She touched the tank, and smiled.

"Now, we have it back, our tank and all," she said, jumping back onto shore. The others nodded.

"Can't we just leave this tank?" Saori suggested, but gulped. "Well, to be honest, this tank holds too many memories..."

"Which is why we're not parting with it!" Yukari roared with glee, jumping onboard and rubbing her left cheek to the former Panzer. Although it looked like their original tank, it now had a shinier, more magenta cover, complete with a few sharp spike-like projections and a more modern appearance. Despite its recovery and restoration, the Panzer looked more like a slightly modern, perhaps even futuristic, version of the WWII-era tank that it formerly was. As mentioned previously by Miho, the tank's dimensions, size, weight, and everything resembled more of the M1 Abrams tank, but bulkier and with the cute, pink emblem of an anglerfish on its sides.

"This tank!" Yukari said with a positive sigh. "The tank that won the battles against Kuromorimine, against Alice Shimada-dono, and finally against the Orb! We fired the shot that won all three victories!"

The others admitted in silence. Miho smiled, as she looked at the tank.

"Panzer X," Miho replied.

They now named it the "Panzer X," because it was still a Panzer tank, but now was different enough to warrant a new "classification." The Panzer still looked like a WWII-era Panzer tank, the type used by the Nazi Germans. However, its cannon was a little oversized for its size, and it had extra miniguns all around on the turret.

"You are right, Yukari-san," Miho replied. "That's why it also took us a while to even find a boat. Although we could have just taken off, this tank is valuable to us. Sure, the government sees no use for it, since it is a WWII-era tank, but we belong to Senshadou, a distinct type of Japanese sport where girls of our age drive them."

That was why the girls were willing to keep their tank. Senshadou was a distinct type of sport, in which high school girls (not boys, for some unknown reason) drove WWII-era tanks for sport. Miho was a scion of the most famous family; the Nishizumis, whose legacy spanned since the WWII. However, the sport and its variants appeared to be dying in other parts of the world, and the President of the US invited her and her friends from other schools to showcase it to the American audience, just to reinvigorate its image and worth.

"And now..." Saori sighed. "We are Chosen, the zombies are gone, and our tank is in danger."

Miho grimly nodded.

"Say," Saori said. "Where is danger?"

The others looked around. A while ago, they sensed something...which was now gone.

Miho scanned the horizon, then blinked.

"Oh," she realized. "False alarm; a few birds were flying overhead."

The others sighed in big relief.

"We've been running away for so long!" Saori said, collapsing unto the sandy shore. "Like criminals, that even the movement of a bird puts us on edge!"

"Or like zombies," Hana chimed in, causing everybody else to shiver a little.

"Do they think that we are infected?" Saori asked.

"There is no way," Mako said. "That a zombie virus would give some humans superpowers, like us. Plus, we have never been bitten."

"Except you," Miho corrected her.

"Ah," Mako said. "I almost forgot; that moment was...yeah."

An awkward but serious silence followed, as they remembered before. Mako almost became a zombie, when a zombified scientist almost killed her with his...experimental bite or something. Fortunately, she became Chosen just in time, saving her from certain death.

"Good thing," Mako mumbled. "That Chosen Ones are apparently immune to zombification. Still..."

She sighed, lowering her head a little.

"I understand," Miho said, hugging her. "We almost lost you there."

"Th-thanks," Mako said, almost crying.

"And don't die on us like that next time!" Saori chimed in, almost teasing her.

"You and Hana almost died too," Mako snickered. "Chopping off your own leg or something to save Miho in time? That was almost stupid, as you two were weak, but you did that to free your legs, in order to save Miho from certain death."

Saori giggled nervously. She and Hana did seem foolish, but in the heat of the moment, chose to try and protect Miho, who was incapacitated at one point, from being crushed by a strange zombie. Fortunately, being Chosen required that one did something noble; for some unknown reason, the same Orb that caused the apocalypse also blessed some individuals with the power to defeat the zombies.

"And Yukari saved yours," Hana said. "Mako-san, Yukari almost got crushed by a monster that looked like a walking pig, just to save you."

Yukari giggled and smiled awkwardly. She remembered that moment when she and Mako were hiding from a few mutant monsters. However, one of them got down to their hideout, and Yukari almost lost her life.

"And all that began," Mako said, turning to face Miho. "Because our leader chose to save Liuyang, a Chinese girl, from certain death."

"And here we are," Miho concluded. "But now...I sense something."

They all turned around, weapons raised and ready. The waves continued to crash unto the shore, an eerie calm seeping all around the coastline. The cliffs echoed with the distant roars of the waves, slamming into its jagged edges. Yet, one thing was missing...

"No sound of animals," Saori said the obvious. "Strange..."

"You are right," Miho began. "We have-wow!"

Four silhouettes flew overhead, then one of them circled rapidly around the five girls. Saori concentrated, her fans together as they gradually created a fireball.

"Hold your fire," Miho commanded, and Saori reciprocated. "That is just a...something."

The four silhouettes of avian figures circled around them for a while, before three of them beelined for something in the distance.

"That's the direction we're going to take," Mako noted.

Miho nodded, as she and the others looked up. The lone flying figure then gradually flew down, until it was on the ground.

Mako gulped, then sidestepped behind Saori.

"Mako!" Saori groaned. "You have a shield; don't use me as one!"

"I hate scary things," Mako mumbled.

"But condors are not scary!" Saori moaned, as she and others stared at the giant bird walking towards them. Its huge, black-clad body shone brilliantly in the sunlight, in sharp contrast to its bald head, which was a splash of gray, yellow, and pink colors.

"Well," she added. "Maybe 'ugly' is a better word than 'scary.'"

"Eww..." Mako groaned. " _Gymnogyps californianus_ , not my favorite type of animal. A common symbol during Halloween."

"Ah, really?" Saori asked. "Well, vultures are associated with symbols of death. And Gymno-what?"

"Its scientific name," Mako replied. "The rarest of the condors, the California condor was almost extinct, but was saved in the nick of time. Now, it soars as a protected species, looking for carcasses to eat."

"But we have no meat here!" Yukari said. "Except for some cans of meat, which I am not sure."

"Condors do not smell meat," Mako corrected her. "They find food by sight, but it _is_ weird for a condor to just come down and walk towards us."

The California condor stared at them, its black eyes staring nobly up towards the girls. It continued to stare at them, as if wanting to beg, but not wanting to.

"Does it want meat?" Saori pouted. "Man! It took us a while just to gather up supplies!"

Miho looked at the bird, then jumped onto the boat. In the middle of the giant boat was the tank, situated precariously in the middle as the waves crashed into the front of the boat, the ropes groaning as if about to snap apart. Around the tank were a variety of boxes and crates. Miho beelined for one with a label "fresh meat," and opened it.

"Miporin!" Saori called out. "That's the wrong box!"

"No," Miho replied back, coming back with a piece of ribeye steak. "From what I remember back in elementary school, my old teacher said that vultures prefer fresh meat."

"She's right," Mako said, defending her. "Despite their reputation, vultures actually prefer fresh meat."

"And that's one way you can tell whether a dead animal is safe to eat!" Yukari chimed in. "In survival videos I watched, that's one way you know whether meat is fresh: find vultures."

Saori made a face at that.

"I prefer not," she concluded, as she and others watched Miho approach the condor. It backed out at first, then craned its neck up at her. She opened the packet, and let the steak drop down to the sand.

"Here you go," Miho said, watching the condor while kneeling on her knees.

The condor looked at the hunk of red-and-white flesh closely, its ivory-billed beak clenched tight. Then, it reached its neck out, and grabbed the whole hunk of flesh. Dangling from its mouth, the meat bore a few specks of sand from the shore. The bird then dropped it and, holding it with its left foot, commenced ripping it into smaller morsels to swallow.

 **"Where there is no way," Mako said nonchalantly. "Make a way."**

The condor looked up, and grunted. Miho smiled in response, and she almost thought that the condor smiled _back_.

"The California condor has no vocal cord," explained Mako. "Which is why it does not talk. I don't think it could, even if it's a talking animal."

"Talking animal..." Saori moaned, shaking her head. "The apocalypse sure brought some weird stuff! We dealt with zombies, which were nothing like the types we expect! Then, the talking animals..."

Miho nodded in silence.

In addition to the Chosen Ones and the zombies, the apocalypse also brought another "incident": the rise of talking animals. Throughout California, reports rang about strange, gigantic versions of animals that somehow could understand human speech. They were more interested in minding their own business, than in attacking humans, although a few casualties resulted from conflicts with them. Still, even though the apocalypse abated, these animals still appeared to still roam about.

 **"The Orb," she replied. "The Orb strangely did this. Even after we destroyed it, we still retain our...strange attributes. We adapt and move on. Until we can return back to normal, we will do with what we can."**

"That's Nishizumi-dono!" Yukari said out loud, waving her fists excitedly. "We will stay with you, and hopefully be back to normal!"

"That's why we're going to that island," Mako chimed in lazily. "To find the Orb if we can, learn about it, and why it still does its-"

 _Ring...riiiinngggg...weeeee...weweweweee..._

A distant but distinct sound echoed in the distance.

"Let's go!" Miho roared, and everybody jumped into the boat. "Get the barge going! Go-go-go! Yukari-san!"

She nodded, and clapped her fists together. Then, she put them at the end of the boat. They rapidly transformed into a giant, makeshift motor, its propellers pushing the boat further away from shore. From their time living in the wild, Miho and her friends learned that being Chosen also granted them a new ability: changing their Hands of God into useful tools, although this ability was still new to them.

Saori then concentrated, creating balls of fire between her fans. Hana waved her naginata carefully, causing some bamboo-like spikes to project out from the boat's wooden floor. Mako yawned, but readied her shield, sitting on the tank's rear. Miho stood on the very top of the turret, her sword raised in hand. The chains whirled and buzzed intensely.

The condor, seeing that they were leaving, took off flying, its silhouette rising up majestically in the air. Miho looked at, made a quick motion of gratitude, and then refocused.

"Girls, get ready!" Miho called out, eyeing the convoy in the distance.

The highway snaked through the cliffs, but that did not deter a large, long line of vehicles. The convoy of black, SWAT-like military jeeps and armored cars roared through the highway. Above, three airplanes flew overhead, the cameras eyeing the girls.

"Reaper drones!" Yukari cried out, her eyes wide open. "Man, even as Chosen, I am scared of those things! They almost killed us back when we're normal!"

Although only one of the cars was using a police siren, the girls knew who they were.

"Some kind of a secret anti-Chosen military group," Mako grunted, expressing mild annoyance. "They looks like SWAT, but more advanced."

Whoever they were, a secret faction of the US military appeared to be responsible for "containing" the surviving Chosen Ones in California. This faction also ensured that it got anonymous tips, and made efforts to keep everyone else from learning about who the Chosen Ones really were. However, that was apparently a failure, as the news of both the apocalypse and the "Chosen Ones" spread from around the world.

"Concentrate!" Miho yelled out, snapping her back into focus. "Hit it!"

Yukari made a face, and forced her motor to rev up into high gear. The propellers roared in the waters, driving the boat further and further away from shore. The first three vehicles parked in the lot not far away, and a number of armed personnel then rushed towards the boat.

"Hana-san!" Miho yelled. "Spikes!"

Nodding, Hana waved her naginata, muttering something. A row of green spikes rose up, blocking the men's movement.

 _Pop! Pop! Boom!_

"Take cover," Mako lazily said. She hid behind her shield, the bullets ricocheting off of its solid surface. Miho, Saori, and Hana all deflected the bullets with their weapons, silently glad that their Chosen status granted them resistance against bullets.

"Ouch!"

They still could get hurt, though.

"My apology," Hana replied, blocking bullets that were flying at Yukari. Her hands still tied to her motor, Yukari was wide open. A few bullets hit her, but she shrugged them off. The one good thing about being Chosen...was that they were resistant to bullet fire.

"Hold your fire," Miho said to Saori, who concentrated to create balls of fire. "We have company."

A few military vehicles parked, and a few men came out with missile launchers.

"Try and see if you can disarm them!" Miho yelled. "But try and avoid detonating them!"

"Oh please!" Saori groaned. "Then I will just shoot them with embers!"

She danced around, then snapped her fans shut. Bolts of fire shot out, and deliberately missed the men, hitting the asphalt. As expected, the men docked and moved their vulnerable but powerful weapons away. Miho also helped, by cutting the spikes on the boat with her sword, then took out an atlatl, bought from a sympathetic person.

"Good to have these," Miho muttered, as she placed a spike on her atlatl, aimed, and threw it. The lone spike wedged right into one of the launchers' tubes, forcing the man holding it to drop it to the ground. A launcher with its tube blocked was useless, after all.

Then, it happened.

"Get them!" Miho roared, as the girls struggled to block a volley of missiles. They came from the Reaper drones, which flew far away, too far for the girls to strike with their spikes. Knowing this, Miho then jumped into the tank, and took out a sniper rifle. Turning around and checking to see that it had ammo, she aimed at one of the drones, and fired.

 _BOOM!_

The single bullet struck the leading drone, causing it to detonate, as Miho shot its engine. Despite that, the other two continued to fire their missiles, and flew away to avoid the range of fire.

"Incoming!" Saori roared, as she continued to rain down harmless embers on the growing mass of soldiers on the shore. Volleys of bullets and rockets bombarded the girls, as the men cut down the spikes.

"Can't concentrate!" Yukari roared, as a few bullets continued to pummel her. "Ouch! They still hurt!"

"These men attack well," Hana said with a gasp. She then summoned more spikes, with which she and Miho cut down and threw them like javelins, trying to distract the men. They were NOT in the mood of killing anyone right now; they just wanted to escape.

"Reaper drones and now a whole missile launcher force-thingy!" Saori cried out, panicking. Miho then jumped down, and held her friend firmly with both of her hands on her shoulders. She calmed down almost instantly.

"We will try what we can," Miho began. "And-wow!"

Something large and black swooped down past the girls, then straight towards the men, who also were taken by surprise. In the distance, three silhouettes that looked like condors flew right into the remaining drones, forcing them to dodge, their missiles missing.

"The condor!" Miho yelled, eyeing the black, majesty body soar in and out, its white triangular patches visible underneath the wings.

"Oh boy!" Saori squealed, clapping her hands and fans together. "It must have called for help or something!"

"Condors have no vocal cords," Mako corrected her, but Saori ignored that, as she had to concentrate on blocking more attacks.

"Get that bird out of the way!" one of the men roared, aiming a gun at it. Another pushed the rifle down.

"That's an endangered species!" he roared. "Plus, it has a tag on it!"

Miho looked. Sure enough, a yellow tag with a black number "5" etched on it was on the left wing. It kept soaring up and down, diving into the men.

"Thanks for your help!" Miho called out, a single tear coming out of her right eye.

As if hearing her, the condor made even braver moves, swooping close enough to peck at the men with its bloodstained mouth. Men after men screamed in horror, as they did NOT expect a vulture to suddenly attack, not to mention that it was a condor with blood on its mouth.

"Quite a strong, agile flier," Mako said nonchalantly, eyeing the condor. "To be honest, I find it a little funny, that a single bird is enough to distract a whole regiment of armed men."

"Go-go-go!" Miho called out, as Yukari managed to rev up her motor into maximum power. The barge then rapidly gained speed, until the shore looked more like a line than a shore. Bullets and rockets started to miss, as they managed to flee from the maximum distance of the volley of fire. The other two drones tried to intercept the barge, but the three condors kept flying into them, forcing them to back off.

* * *

After a few tense minutes, the barge was soon far away enough, so that the girls noted that the men onshore stopped firing. Even the drones stopped flying, as they left for their base. Then, the girls collapsed, exhausted but content.

"Gone!" Saori gasped, panting on the wooden floor.

Miho sighed, but smiled, glad to be out of the situation.

"Girls," she said. "I know that we have finally made it out."

The others responded with a sigh of relief. Indeed, after all those days of hiding, fleeing, and gathering up resources, they were finally out of California.

"We finally managed to obtain an old barge," said Yukari, still concentrating on her motor. "That still works, even after all these years."

"It's only because we somehow fixed it," said Mako. "Our powers allow us to do that."

She was right. The Chosen Ones were gifted with some type of power, known colloquially as "magic." However, unlike the scientific laws of the universe, magic seemed to be unpredictable; the girls had yet to fully comprehend what it could do...and what it could not.

"Yukari-san," Miho said. "You can stop the motor; we're safe. I can use my chainsaw."

Yukari shook her head.

"Save your energy," she replied. "You're our leader, Nishizumi-dono."

Miho blinked, then nodded in silence. Then, on impulse, she raised her right fist straight. The others smiled, and approached her to put their hands together in a hand stack. Even Yukari turned her motor back into her fists, took them off, and joined in the hand stack.

"Oh," Miho began, but the others nodded in reply. She smiled, and cleared her throat.

"We may not know what will happen," Miho said. " **We finally have escaped from two nightmares: the apocalypse, and now the authorities, who have been capturing and rounding up other Chosen Ones. Now, we are finally going there**."

She turned around, and the others followed suit.

In the distant horizon, despite being invisible to the naked eye, something glimmered. A glimmer that only magic could create.

"The island," Miho said. " **All we know that it was created not long after the apocalypse ended. Known as the New Cal, because it was alleged to be created from a fragment of California, it now is said to be a safe have to any Chosen One. And I have a feeling that our answers, and our way to become normal, are all there.** "

The others nodded in anticipation, staring at the same island. Despite being far away, they all sensed it, growing closer and closer to them, as the barge continued to drive forward, even without a motor.

"Let us go," she said. "And find our answers there."

"We're in," Saori replied.

"We are with you," Hana said.

"Let's go!" Yukari yelled out loud.

"And be normal again," Mako nonchalantly answered. "Once we arrive there, this is it."

Miho nodded, then looked at the direction. Above, the condor flew around the barge; apparently, it followed them.

" **Thank you!** " Miho called out to the condor.

It swooped down, grunting audibly as it soared up again, and flapped its wings to beeline towards the island.

" **Panzer vor,** " Miho said.

* * *

 **So then, welcome to my brand-new story! This is inspired by many things, such as my old story "Girls Dead Rise" and some inspirational words from many supporters on FanFiction.**

 **I give a shoutout to my old friends and supporters on FanFiction:**

 **-aGuestfromGreece45 for his continuous support**

 **-Trex98 for his continuous support**

 **-der Jagdexperte for his major words of advice, in order to render the story more realistic. With his help, I was able to fix some major scenes.**

 **-Anime Psychologist, for his crucial words of advice about the characters' psychological mindset.**

 **-Phantomwa1ker, Inceptor57, NETGamer99, DarthFii, NuclearAlchmist, and all of the at least 24 favorite and follow members from my previous story for their support!**

* * *

 **Update: the first ten chapters are going to be revised (I don't know how long), in order to hone them further. That way, I am proud of the current project. Please re-read if you can, and thank you!**

 **Here is the TABLE OF CONTENTS:**

 **Chapters 1-7: Gathering up the old Ooarai Girls**

 **Chapters 8-10: Nurok arc**

 **Chapters 11-12: some trivia about the world of New Cal**

 **Chapters 13: transition**

 **Chapters 14-currently in the making: St. Gloriana arc**

* * *

 **Thank you so much for taking your time to read my brand-new potential story. Please review, like, follow etc.**

 **And happy 2018!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Landfall

**Thank you for all your support, the first five likes and six follows! Thank you so much!**

 **(Please spread the word, through Facebook, Discord, or any ways...)**

 **So, for this story, I intend to use my lessons and experiences from "Girls Dead Rise," in order to hopefully write a better story. I do not want to merely write; I want to make a story that is worth your time.**

 **And I know that some of you prefer to skim, for so those who read and those who skim, get ready...**

 **(Oh, this will be a short chapter, since there is not much to do in the ocean...)**

* * *

 **Note: Bold is important, but some parts are not bolded, even though they are important. I know some of you all like to skim; the bolding is to encourage you all to get important details. Some, however, are not; that does NOT mean that they are any less important.**

* * *

 **Girls Wild Rise**

 **Chapter 2: The Landfall**

 **Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean...**

 **12:00 PM; October 8, 20XX**

"Are we there yet?"

Mako grunted the one thing that everybody was anticipating. Despite that, she snored softly, her white pillow against the front of the barge.

The barge swayed back and forth, drowsing in the waves, crashing into its tough shell, moaning. The winds blew through, as all five girls onboard did about their business.

"I am with you, cannon."

Yukari moaned in her sleep, rubbing her cheeks against the tank's turret, napping on top of the metallic behemoth, its light brownish-magenta color shining in the sunlight.

"Keep still, dear plant."

Hana waved her naginata around back and forth, dancing a little behind the tank. With intense eyes, she concentrated on a small bonsai pot, trying to control the miniature tree on it.

It shook a little, swaying a little in the winds.

"Lunch is almost ready!"

Saori called out, as she checked ten portable grills, filled to the brim with food from their supplies. She sighed.

"Man," she groaned. "Some canned meat and canned vegetables..."

Saori made a face.

"Spam," she said.

"They...they store well..." Yukari moaned, rising up. She then slumped down from the turret, partially falling down unto the floor of the barge. She then slowly rose up, slumping towards Saori and the grills.

"Foo...food..." she moaned.

Mako twitched, then immediately got up and summoned her shield, whipping her urumi around.

"W-wh-where?!" she stuttered, shaking.

"Me," Yukari groaned, limping towards Saori.

"Oh..." Mako groaned herself, lowering her weapons. "Please, don't do that to me. You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Saori merely rolled her eyes, waving a war fan right in Yukari's face. The warming feel soothed her at first.

"Ah..." Yukari moaned in relief. "I feel better."

Giving a smirk, Saori then flapped her fan harder.

"Ah...ho-hot-hot-hot!"

Yukari flailed her arms around, waking up instantly. The fan's intense heat felt like a hot pot on her face, as she shook herself to cool down.

"Well," Saori said, covering her smile with her fan. "It looks like everybody's awake. Hana! Lunch is ready!"

"I am here," Hana said, standing right next to a grill. Her mouth twitched, as the aroma of freshly cooked food tempted her.

"Miporin!" Saori called out. "Lunch's ready! Lunch! Miporin? Miporin?"

Miho watched the horizon from the front deck of the barge, staring.

"There is that New Cal island," she mumbled to herself. "I wonder...what will we encounter there? The zombie apocalypse was one thing, but this is another."

She mused in deep thought, unaware of Saori's screaming.

"But what does this have to do with everything?" she pondered to herself. " **It sure has nothing to do with Senshadou...or does it?** "

"Miporin!"

Her ears twitched, and she turned around.

"Oh!" she reacted, coming down. "Sorry about that, thinking hard."

"About what?" Saori pouted, her face visible with worry.

"About everything," she sighed.

Saori blinked, then clapped her hands.

"Let's eat!" she said, trying to lift up the mood. "Then, we'll chit-chat!"

* * *

 **15 minutes later...**

"Yum!"

Yukari gobbled down on her portion, and so did the others. The girls were sitting right on top of their tank, which they had done frequently when they had lunch together back in their old school. Still, it felt...different.

"We haven't been this hungry in a while," Saori moaned, trying to NOT eat a lot, but ended up eating her fifth plate of food.

Lunch right now was a variety of canned meat, vegetables, and some...

"MRE," Yukari noted with innocence. "Meals Ready to Eat."

"Or Meals Rejected by the Enemy," Mako grunted, stealthily sprinkling something on her plate. "Being Chosen makes hungry for anything, even MRE."

"Mako!" Saori growled, her sharp eyes glaring at her. "Sugar is for dessert, not meal!"

"This stinks," Mako retorted, smirking. "Sugar gives flavor."

Saori resisted an urge to stick out her tongue, although her face was frowning at Mako.

"So by the way," Hana said, onto her tenth plate, while Saori was bickering with Mako. "I guess we're all safe and sound."

"As in?" Mako asked rhetorically, once Saori stopped annoying her to listen to Hana.

"Um..." Hana blinked, trying to think. "Well, let us see...We just survived the zombie apocalypse."

"That was months ago!" Mako groaned, shivering. "I do not want to think about that again."

"But that is important," Hana replied calmly. " **I mean, I am no detective, but even I can tell that everything is so...strange. First, we have the apocalypse. Then, we lose our tank, and the others are...gone.** "

The girls were silent, letting the ocean moan in the background. Waves crashed into the barge, causing it to groan in complaint. Everything was still, except for the frequent whistles of the oceanic wind.

"I hope they are not," Miho finally broke the silence. "But yes; we are now going to the island. It seems to have this...pull on us."

"As if we're supposed to go there," Saori mumbled.

"And we saw plenty of weird animals!" Yukari yelled out. "And even those who look like us! They were all going to the same direction!"

Indeed, they all knew that well. Even before they took off, the girls had seen plenty of strange animals and humans alike leaving California, as if New Cal somehow was...calling them to seek _refuge_ there.

"Justified," Yukari noted, nodding. "They are all under scrutiny; like us, they are being caught left-and-right like criminals."

"That is why," Miho said seriously. "I believe that everything that happened here in California-the Orb, the PAMC, the apocalypse, the Chosen Ones-has an answer. And I believe that the answer is...on that island, which is strange."

"Strange..." the others echoed her last word, in deep thought.

* * *

It was indeed strange. The girls remembered well of the past events that occurred only a few months ago. First, they were invited by the US President to showcase Senshadou, since it was a unique type of sport. Second, amidst their parade, the apocalypse suddenly struck the entire state. Third, the girls were surviving together, ranging from the Ooarai to the Kuromorimine and everyone who fought together at one time. Fourth, the girls suddenly were separated. And last but not least, the girls all became Chosen, the strange process of becoming some sort of superhero or mutant...

* * *

"But what does this all mean?" Saori gasped.

"Do not play God," Mako said bluntly. "Else nature gets you."

"It was not nature!" Saori retorted. "It was some mad scientists messing with this...thing called the Orb! And somehow, the Orb appeared and caused the apocalypse!"

"But it also changed us," Hana said.

Everybody agreed.

"At least we got our tank back!" Yukari chimed in, nodding with a smile at their beloved tank, albeit altered.

"Yukarin!" Saori blurted out. "Stop changing the conversation on a whim! The Orb was crazy enough, you know!"

"Is the Orb even the only one of its kind?" asked Mako. "Or will we see more?"

Silence filled the answer, as the others meditated on Mako's rhetorical question. Saori was about to answer, but Miho gave her a strange look, and she fell silent, nodding in agreement.

"Girls," Miho said, causing everyone to turn to pay attention. "I know that this is all crazy; even after 40 days or so of living on the run, we still do not know everything. So, let us all..."

She pulled out a large sheet of white paper, the type normally used by artists to draw; she obtained it from a friendly artist, who had a spare amount.

"...write down what we know," she replied.

The others nodded, taking out various pens and pencils to write...

* * *

Miho watched, while jotting down what they knew. Her eyes noticed various details, some obvious and others not so. However, they all shared similar thoughts. For one thing, the Orb was some sort of a supernatural object, which created both the Chosen Ones and the zombies. All of them also knew that it was some sort of a power source, which the PAMC apparently wanted.

"But there is one thing I am confused," Hana said, as she wrote with her own fudepen, a type of Japanese ink brush similar to a fountain pen.

"You mean three," Saori corrected her, as she wrote with a wooden, yellow pencil of American origin.

"Ah, yes!" Hana replied, nodding at Saori. "Have you all wondered something? Tanks, the talking animals, the natural world, and everything? It appears that our survival was tied to **what we did was right**."

"That simple?" Mako retorted. "I don't think so."

"I believe she's right," Miho said, causing Mako to stare at her, her face with a hint of shock. Miho quickly chewed on her piece of morsel, a ball of rice wrapped in a nori roll with some pieces of meat and veggies. She swallowed, and then continued.

"Mako-san," Miho said. "The Orb seems to be the answer to everything we seek: **how and why we are Chosen, how and why the animals can talk, and everything else.** And after the Orb was defeated, it vanished, but..."

Miho's eyes frowned, her right hand in a thinking posture.

"You sense that it's not over," Saori finished her sentence. Miho nodded grimly, remembering that moment...

 _Miho and her girls recovered their tank, and sensed that the Orb, the source of everything-the apocalypse, the Chosen Ones, and that strange thing called **magic** -that was around them. They then fired a shell, empowered with their own energies. Then, just when they thought that it was over, the PAMC came, and tried to retrieve it. Long story short, one of the leaders got greedy, killed everybody else on his team, and lost control._

"I guess power corrupts, right?" Mako gave out another rhetorical question, as she and others remembered how Nicolae, who was a main leader of the PAMC, killed off his team in greedy ambition, and then eventually lost his life, as the Orb destroyed him. Then, Miho then delivered the final blow, slashing the Orb with her sword.

All of them sighed.

"But at least we have the island," Yukari said, trying to cheer everybody up. "Whatever it is, we can sense something from it."

"Yes, we do," Miho said, climbing up to the front deck, staring at the horizon.

All around her was an endless mass of waves, the ocean breathing up and down. The rare few birds squawked and croaked, flying in the updrafts, as the clouds rolled about calmly.

Yet, she felt something.

"A storm is coming," she said.

"Eh?!" Saori screamed with a start, jumping up. "We're not ready!"

"No," Miho replied, shaking her head. "Get ready for the island."

The others blinked.

"W-wait!" Yukari gasped, coming up to check. "We're already there?!"

"I don't think it's that close," Mako said, with startled eyes. Even she was amazed.

All the others came up, and watched. Scanning the horizon, their enhanced eyes did not notice anything at first.

"Is it there?" Saori asked prematurely.

Then, they saw it.

"LAND AHOYYY!" Yukari roared, causing others to wince.

Miho shook herself, and smiled.

"Yukari-san," she said. "We are finally there."

Mako dropped down, sitting down and sighing in relief.

"Finally," she groaned, flashing a rare smile.

Yukari knelt down, her hands raised in excitement.

"Thank you God!" she suddenly roared without thinking.

"God..." Miho mumbled, watching the speck of the island. "God..."

She looked up at the sky above, a single white cloud floating over her head.

Saori jumped up and down, embers flying around her.

"Yipee!" she screeched.

"Watch the embers," Mako said. "They're warm, but hot."

Hana stood still, but smiled and summoned her naginata. She held it like a battle standard, as the girls watched the land appear larger and larger.

"We are there," she replied.

Miho nodded in agreement, summoning her sword. It flashed a golden glow, but it seemed brighter than usual.

"We're finally there," Miho said. "Let's go-"

* * *

 _A split second._

 _She saw symbols._

 _She saw something._

 _An island._

 _Some strange objects._

 _Some strange animals._

 _Some strange...peoples?_

 _"Please be alive," said a voice. "Save us. Save Senshadou..."_

* * *

Miho blinked.

"Eh?" she blurted out.

"Miporin?" Saori asked.

"Saori-san," Miho replied, shaking her head. "Wow, was that another dream?"

"That's too fast to be a dream," Mako said nonchalantly. "But you did seem...well, your eyes had this weird glow about them for a split second."

"You did stop mid-sentence," Hana chimed in, while Yukari nodded with a face full of concern.

"I wonder," Miho said. "If our dreams of sort have to do with being Chosen?"

"Or maybe you're a special type," Saori said. "Like in video games, being full of ideas **about 'Chosen' warriors out to save the whole world from whatnot**."

"To be honest," Mako said. "Saori-san, you basically nailed it."

Saori blushed.

"Finally!" Saori grunted, as the land grew larger and larger in the distance, glad to change the topic.

Miho then turned to get to the back, but Yukari already went ahead, turning her gauntlets into a motor to drive the barge forwards. Shrugging, Miho then went back to the front.

"Land ahoy!" Saori yelled, jumping up and down like an excited child.

"Something to eat onshore finally?" Mako groaned, but had a hint of a smile on her face.

Miho then saw the coast, smiling with the others in calm joy. However, something caught her eyes, and she gasped.

* * *

 **Well, well. This chapter is short, since there is not much to talk about when the girls were in the ocean. You may notice that the island seemed quite close by, but remember that the girls were traveling for hours. And spoiler alert: the island is NOT stable...**

 **Plus, this short chapter is meant to give important hints at the future chapters; feel free to review and especially speculate what will happen next. Not just the last sentence, but the whole dialogue.**

 **Thank you, and land ahoy!**


	3. Chapter 3: Into the Mouth

**Greetings from SeekerMeeker; it's been a while.**

 **Since the rush to finish "Girls Dead Rise," I guess I have had fatigue (but of a good type) from it. However, I intend to pull with this story as good as possible, or better. Any encouragement, either through review or through private chat, is greatly appreciated.**

 **So, let us explore...**

* * *

 **Update: this chapter is updated for quality.**

* * *

 **I hope that this is a nice, smooth transition. This chapter has three important things: Miho's actions, the world of the island, and a sweet spoiler at the end. I apologize if this chapter may seem a little long and overtly detailed, because it is still introducing and developing the beginning. The sweet spoiler at the end, however, will make all the difference.**

* * *

 **Girls Wild Rise**

 **Chapter 3: Into the Mouth**

 **At the coast of the island...**

 **12:30 PM; October 8, 20XX**

"Wow..."

Miho gasped, as she and other four gazed in awe.

"What the..."

"It's beautiful..."

"This is..."

"Oh boy."

The coast looked like a tropical beach, with glass-like white sands sparkling in the sun, as the deep blue waves crashed unto it. Palm trees and flowers of all kinds swayed in the breeze, as the girls came closer and closer. Bright red silhouettes flew back and forth, the birds singing and feeding in the canopies.

"Seems like a dream..." Saori whispered. "Right, Miporin? Miporin?"

Miho squinted her eyes.

"Strange," she noted. "Do I see-bacuri!"

Her voice suddenly rose up, taking others by surprise.

"Sorry?" the others asked.

"Bacuri," she repeated, turning to look at her friends. The others noticed her eyes lighten up, with a glow of rare joy. Saori remembered that the only other time she saw that...was when they were at the Boko Museum.

"Oh!" Miho realized, shaking herself. "So-sorry! It's been a while since I have seen such...fruits!"

"What's a bacuri?" asked Mako.

"A bacuri is a type of fruit from Brazil," Miho said, pointing at the coast.

The others looked. Amidst the palm trees, a single tree stood. It looked like a typical tropical tree, except with yellow, coconut-sized fruits hanging from its crown.

Both Saori and Hana raised an eyebrow at the fruits.

"They look like coconuts," Saori said. "But yellow and..."

"Very dirty," Hana remarked. "They are round like coconuts, but they're...yeah."

All of them stared at the fruits. The fruits were indeed round like coconuts. However, while they were clearly yellow, they looked as if somebody dropped them in the mud and stained them dirty. Miho, however, was almost jumping up and down with joy.

"Ye...yeah," Saori said, trying to think of something more positive to say. "What are they really? And you've been to Brazil?"

The others looked at Miho, who was trembling with joy like a young kid.

"Fruits that are bright yellow inside," Miho said, gazing as if in a dream. "The yellow rind surrounds a pure-white meat that is delicious. I remember eating one and it was so-I AM COMING!"

Miho suddenly screamed at the last part, making everyone jump. She suddenly leaped from the boat, splashing into the waves and swimming towards the shore to the right of the boat.

"Miporin!" Saori roared, staring in shock. "Wha-what are you doing?!"

They all looked in the direction of Miho swimming. Only some 300 m away from the coast, on the white sandy coast, a single animal was flailing about, crying in pain. It looked like a dolphin stranded ashore, but with a short beak, looking more like a baby dolphin. It was squirming helplessly in the white sand, as the sunlight burned at its gray skin and white belly.

"Keh...keh! Keh..."

A low squeak emitted from the stranded animal, and everybody else, with sharp ears, could barely hear it.

"Get the motor running, now!" Hana suddenly roared, her calm demeanor momentarily gone, clenching her naginata, which she instantly summoned. The vines surrounding the pole stiffened, and grew thorns all around.

Yukari gave a single nod, then sprinted to the back, her gauntlets already morphed into a motor. The boat rapid sped up, as Yukari struggled to direct it in the direction of Miho. Miho was swimming frantically towards the stranded animal.

Worse yet...

"The condor..." Mako mumbled, kneeling down in fear, hiding behind her shield.

A large condor stood, its black suit of feathers casting a dark shadow over the animal. Its bald, pink head stared at the dying beast, waiting.

"You better not..." Hana hissed, raising her naginata, her hands clenched tight.

Saori was in the same boat. She hissed very frantically, her fans raised, literally on fire.

"Not yet!" Yukari called out. "Look!"

Everybody watched, as Miho managed to reach ashore, shaking herself before sprinting towards the stranded cetacean.

It moaned and squealed weakly, as the condor looked up. Its black, beady eyes were the same as before. As Miho neared, the condor turned around, walked a few feet, and then turned back to watch.

"Ah!" Miho panted. "You're the same one...from before!"

The condor grunted.

"Th-thanks for waiting," she gasped, as she carefully checked the cetacean. She thought it was a dolphin, but on closer inspection, realized that it had quite a short beak and its eyes were surrounded by a dark ring, giving the impression of a black eye.

It moaned weakly, but watched her.

"Stay still," she comforted the animal, as she carefully lifted up the animal. "Here you go, porpoise."

The porpoise stayed still, as if it knew what was going to happen. The condor continued to watch, its beady eyes silent and black. It appeared to frown, but it always had that face before. Miho waded into the waters, as the barge closed in to about 100 m from the shore. Onboard, the girls watched with anticipation.

The porpoise was silent, as Miho gently put it back into the waters. Then, it flailed wildly, and managed to swim. The porpoise then jumped and down in the water, happy to be in the ocean again. Miho smiled, then slowly swam back to the barge.

"Keh! Keh!"

She turned around. The porpoise was staring at her, following her from behind. Suddenly, another porpoise appeared, and the two followed her, even nudging her to help her get back onboard.

"Ah!" she gasped, drying herself with a towel from Saori. "Thank you."

"Keh! Keh!" the porpoises replied; their faces looked like smiling.

"Guess they cannot talk," Saori remarked, as she and the others covered Miho with towels; Saori herself fanned her rapidly. "But they sure know what had transpired."

"They are vaquitas," Mako noted.

"Vaquitas?" asked the others.

"The world's most endangered species of cetaceans," said Mako. "Cetaceans are all of the whales and dolphins. The vaquita is the smallest and rarest of them all."

The others blinked, then gazed with pity at the two. The two kept whistling, and seemed to smile innocently.

"Keh! Keh!" the porpoises squealed. The one whom Miho saved tried to get itself unto the barge.

"No, no," she said, smiling at the porpoise's face. It looked cute and innocent.

"Stay in the water," she said. "OK?"

The porpoise squealed in response, as it squeaked at her.

"Oh," Miho said, taking off her towels. "Alright."

She went back in, and the two porpoises rubbed their beaks and bellies against Miho's chest.

"Ehehe!" she giggled, as the porpoises continued to cuddle with her. Saori smiled, as she and others watched.

"Miporin," Saori said. "Have you any experience with animals?"

"Just a few," Miho admitted. "Like my pet dog and a few zoo animals."

"What about the tiger?" asked Mako. "You seem to know it."

"I was at a circus long ago," Miho said. "And a tiger in a cage got angry. It started to disobey its trainer, until I took out ham from my sandwich and threw at it."

"And that's how you know..." Yukari replied, as she and others stared at her in awe. "No wonder you knew how to tell what the tiger wanted! You saw its expression, and you somehow...knew what it wanted!"

"I don't know why," Miho admitted, as the porpoises continued to snuggle. "But even my mother noted that even animals seemed to like me."

"That's Nishizumi-dono!" Yukari declared. "Your kindness sure is a powerful thing!"

"No-no!" Miho said, blushing a little. "I am just a normal girl. And we are here to become normal again."

Suddenly, the condor grunted a little louder than usual.

"Ah!" Miho said, as she swam back ashore. The porpoises squeaked, trying to nudge her away from the shore.

"Wait," Miho said, as she finally came ashore. "Stay there, please."

The porpoises moaned, as Miho walked towards the condor. It hissed, but stayed put. Miho knelt down, staring at it. Then, slowly, she reached out her right hand, and tickled its neck with her index finger. It closed its eyes, and made a sound like that of a dove cooing. Behind her, the porpoises watched her.

"Unfortunately," she said, as she turned around to swim back to the boat. "We don't have enough meat for now. You can fly with us, if you want."

The condor stayed silent, watching them as still as stone, as Miho swam back, with the porpoises nudging her.

"Girls, please keep the boat away from the shore," she said, as she dried herself again. "The coast feels quite shallow here-wow!"

The others also reacted the same way, as something bumped into the boat. The two porpoises fled in fear, as what ever bumped suddenly lunged ashore. A huge silhouette of a fish got stranded ashore, flailing wildly. After a few seconds of shock, the girls quickly recovered, and beheld the sight.

"Man!" Saori grunted, gasping. "I forgot that animals here grow twice as fast or something, just like back in California!"

"You mean only about 50%," said Mako, shivering a little. "And that one...is a sabertooth salmon."

"Sabertooth tiger?!" Saori roared. "That's a huge fish!"

"Sabertooth _salmon_ ," Mako grunted, slightly annoyed.

The others stared at her, then at the fish.

The fish was indeed a salmon, but the biggest they had ever seen. Just like in California, where some animals not only could talk, but also became bigger than usual, the salmon was colossal. About 13.5 feet long, it flailed, helplessly stranded ashore. However, while it looked like any salmon they had seen, it had two fang-like teeth projecting from its snout's tip; it really did look like a sabertooth.

"Keh! Keh!" the two porpoises came back, squealing with joy.

"Ah..." Hana said, almost drooling. "That looks like a fine salmon..."

"And huge!" Yukari squealed, literally drooling.

In fact, all of the girls gulped, as their stomachs growled. Sure, they ate well back in California, but they had to resort to hunting and gathering in the wild, while doing something that Yukari called "dumpster diving," in which the girls made faces, as they searched the trash bins at night for anything edible.

"And now!" Saori yelled out loud. "We have fresh fish! Salmon at last! Miporin?"

Once again, Miho swam back ashore, as Saori sighed.

"Swimming and drying all over again," she remarked, but smiled.

Miho then walked towards the salmon, flailing about. Its eyes were light blue, raging with energy as it struggled to breathe. It then slowly stopped flailing, although its eyes were still full of life. Miho then summoned her blade, revving its engine.

 _Brum-brum-brum-brrrr!_

"Oh boy!" Yukari groaned. "Fresh fish at last!"

The golden teeth screeched with energy, as the blades whirled about. Miho sighed in relief, as even she was glad to eat fresh fish. As she raised her sword, she noticed the fish...

It sighed, its eyes losing much of its life. It looked away, resigned to its fate.

* * *

 _"Okaa-san," Miho tried to explain her situation. It was another meeting, with her again. Again, and again._

 _"You know why we have this," she said coldly, as she glared at Miho. Her sister sat to her left. Unlike her mother, her sister looked...sad. It looked away, resigned to what would happen next..._

* * *

Miho sighed, the flashback getting into her head.

"Miporin?"

"Miho-san?"

"Nishizumi-dono?"

"Miho?"

The four voices echoed faintly in the distance. The two porpoises also watched, curious.

Miho then breathed deep, and threw her chainsaw to her left, which disappeared in a cloud of golden dust. Stretching herself, Miho lifted up the salmon, which made no effort to struggle...and she waded back into the water.

"What the-what are you doing?!" Saori roared.

"Keh! Keh-keh-keh!" the porpoises screeched, as shocked as the girls on the boat.

At first, the salmon did not swim. Then, Miho tapped it. She saw its mouth moving; even it appeared surprised, as its light blue eyes looked up at Miho. It flailed, but Miho did not budge, as she held it firmly with her left arm, wrapping around it like a snake.

"Here-here," she said, waving at the two vaquitas. "Come."

The porpoises hesitated. The salmon, being about 13.5 feet long, did try to attack the two, which were barely about seven feet long. However, the salmon tried to free itself, but Miho kept holding it. As if realizing something, the salmon stayed still, and Miho lifted it up to look at it straight in the eyes.

Her eyes were not angry, but gently both pitying and admonishing. The porpoises then slowly swam towards her, and one of them even poked the salmon's fanged mouth with its beak. It shook, scaring the two porpoises away, before the two came back again.

"Nice salmon," she said, touching its bluish-gray, shiny scales. "Nice little fish."

The salmon looked at her, then at the porpoises. Miho then slowly let go of the salmon, which then calmly swam away. As she watched, she noticed something in the distance.

"Girls," Miho said, as she swam back unto the boat. "It looks like there is an estuary there. We must be close to a river. Let's travel there."

"Ha-hai," the others responded, stunned at the turn of events. Yukari then morphed her fists into a motor, driving the barge towards the estuary.

The girls silently moved towards it, while the two vaquitas swam by. Upon reaching the estuary, both stopped; they did not like the brackish water there.

One of them squealed, and Miho turned around.

"We're at the mouth of a river," she called out to them. "Thanks for coming with us!"

The porpoise whom she saved then swam up to her, cuddling up to her right hand. The two touched each other for a while, before Miho let go and the boat traveled into the mouth.

* * *

The two porpoises watched the boat float away into the estuary, and the two sighed.

"Well," the male said. "That girl is...weird. She saved you, then saved the salmon that tried to attack us."

"Who is she?" the female squealed. "She was nice to me, but even to...it?"

"Don't call me 'it,'" a coughing grunt echoed, as the same salmon rose up to face them. This time, the two held their ground (or the water?), watching the fish cautiously.

"Yeah," the salmon grunted. "Even I was surprised that she did...that. A human with an instinct to be nice to even I...such a rare girl."

"And it's not just us," said the male vaquita, using its beak to point at the beach.

The same condor walked up to a live, healthy vaquita, which also got beached. This time, the condor used its pink, bald head to push the cetacean back into the water. It squealed with delight, before swimming. The other vaquitas and the salmon then swam up to the condor, careful to stay away from the beach.

The condor looked at them, nodding its head with a grunt, before flapping its wings and taking off to soar. Its majestic, black body blazed against the blue sky above, as the sun shone its rays upon the strange island.

"Now that I think about it," the male said, turning to look at its mate and the salmon. "Why didn't we talk?"

"We can't trust all of the humans," said the female.

"Yes," the salmon replied, nodding in agreement. "Ever since this island formed, all kinds of crazy things happened, including some humans capturing us. The best way to react...is to lay low."

"But you gave yourself away," said the male vaquita, frowning at the fish.

"Yeah, you're right," it grunted. "But that's because I am not that smart."

"At least you're smart enough to talk to us," said the male. "Mate, let's go and tell the others."

The two began to swim away.

"Wait," the salmon said.

"Yes?"

"Th...thanks for trusting me," said the salmon. "I am telling the others, too."

The vaquitas whistled in response, and the animals parted way.

"Such a strange girl..." the salmon grunted, before swimming towards a different estuary.

* * *

 **At the mouth...**

 **1:30 PM; October 8, 20XX**

"We are in," Miho said.

The barge floated through the slow-moving river. The mouth was wide, but the girls could see it from one edge to the other. The boat groaned, as a few reefs below scraped its sides.

"Be careful with the boat," Miho sternly commanded, as she put her head into the water to check. Being Chosen, she and the others could see in the water more easily. Miho's sharp eyes saw only scratches, but nothing worse.

"Good," she said, as she continued to dry herself. "Guess that was such a day."

"Miporin," Saori said, handing her a candy bar.

"Thanks," she replied, opening it and chewing it.

"Why are you so nice?" Saori asked.

"Eh?" she asked, munching.

"First, you save a vaquita-whale cutie," said Saori. "Then you pet a condor, and then save a vicious salmon."

" **Guess I...was born that way?** " Miho speculated.

"That was quite...the thing," Hana said. "You not only saved two animals, but also helped them to **coexist with each other**."

" **Just...just like you did with the other schools!** " Yukari gasped, then smiled. "The people whom we fought against, from St. Gloriana to even Kuromorimine, all became friends with us! All because of you! Man, your kindness seems to know no bounds!"

"N-no," Miho said, shaking her head and waving her hands rapidly. "Guess I just did it on impulse."

The others smiled, and Miho reciprocated. Her smile was quite bright, as the sun continued to blaze upon the river, making her smile all the brighter. The girls then looked around.

Miho sighed.

"Ah," she admitted. "I forgot to eat the bacuri."

The others blinked, then remembered.

"Ah," Mako said, pointing. "That one there-oh."

Miho instantly jumped into the water, swimming rapidly towards the tree. Getting on the buff sands, Miho shook herself before climbing the tree with surprising speed, picking up the fresh fruits with a passion. By the time she jumped back down, her arms were full of the dirty-looking yellow fruits.

"Girls!" she cried out, holding a fruit like a baseball player. "Get ready..."

Her calm, cute face took on a stern expression, as her right hand was ready to catapult the yellow bomb...

"Oh boy," all four girls reacted, with Mako and Yukari gulping.

"Wait!" Saori yelled, summoning her weapons. The others emulated her, and they all stood tense.

"Get ready," Miho repeated, swinging her arm like a baseball player.

"Nishizumi training again..." Saori groaned.

"Yeah..." Mako chimed in, gulping as she hid behind her shield.

"How bad was the training again?" Hana asked, staying still like a statue, more out of fear than out of elegance.

"It was bad," Yukari replied curtly.

"Catch!" Miho roared, as she threw fruit after fruit. Each one flew through the air, looking more like stone than fruit.

 _Crack!_

 _Pop!_

 _Wham!_

 _Plop!_

"Ouch!" Saori cried out, as a single fruit struck her right in the forehead. Despite being Chosen, she and others could still feel the pain.

"Oh..." Hana moaned, as she managed to catch a fruit, but the impact strained her hands.

"Uf!" Yukari groaned, as she blocked her head. "Is bacuri that hard?"

"No," Miho's voice echoed, as she threw more fruits.

"I am not going to try," Mako mumbled, as three fruits struck her shield, its ruptured flesh sliding down. She peeked, as she noticed that the fruit's interior had bright white and snow-white layers.

Fortunately, the girls soon got better, as they managed to catch one out of...three fruits. Most either fell into the river, because the girls' own weapons ironically deflected them back. Others, however, accidentally got cut or smashed into pieces.

Miho, however, climbed back to the tree, got more fruits, and pelted the poor girls again.

"Focus and keep your weapons down!" Miho called out, throwing more yellow bombs. "Use your weapons' blunt sides, not the blades!"

"We're trying!" Saori screamed, as she cupped her fans like a basket, but managed to catch three fruits. She sighed in relief, only for two of them explode when another one fell in, smashing them into pieces.

She groaned.

"There is more!" Miho called out, as she climbed another tree.

"What now?" Saori groaned, as she and the others gathered up the bacuri fruits into a pile.

Miho brought down a bunch of...bean pods that looked like green bananas, down to even size.

"Beans?!" Saori asked, aghast.

"No!" Miho called out, throwing them like boomerangs. "Ice cream beans!"

"Ice cream beans?!" the girls reacted, shocked. "What?!"

Mako, however, instantly caught most of the beans thrown; the word "ice cream" seemed to energize her.

"Mine," she declared, pausing to inspect one particularly giant pod. It was the size of a large banana, except with round bumps characteristic of soybean pods. There was a gap, and Mako opened it.

A sweet, vanilla-like aroma filled the air.

"Mine," Mako said again, wolfing down the pulp inside, her mouth stained white like milk.

"Not the seeds!" Miho called out.

"Oh," Mako said with a start; she bit a seed open. She spat it all out, before licking the pulp again.

"Mm!" she groaned with pleasure. "This feels almost like vanilla ice cream!"

"Mako-san!" Miho called out, throwing more bean pods. "Wait until we collect more!"

The girls caught more fruits, before Miho moved to another tree. Mako commenced opening more bean pods, gobbling more of the sweet, white pulp.

This time, Miho squealed.

"Cupuaçu!" she yelled with joy.

The girls looked at the tree. It was a small tree...but it was weird. Brown and orangish-brown fruits the size of medium watermelons hanged from...its trunk.

"Cupua-what?" the girls asked.

"Man!" Saori pouted. "Miporin! You sure know so many fruits from Brazil! Tell us why!"

"I will!" she replied, stacking a pile of them watermelon-sized fruits next to her. It reached up to her neck, as Miho took one and got ready.

"Uh oh..." the girls moaned, as Miho threw them rapidly. To their surprise, Miho threw them at their tank, ricocheting off from its armor.

"Ah," they realized, as they focused on keeping the fruits from falling into the waters. After a while, the girls managed to pile up the heavy fruits to the back of the boat, which started to lean a little...

"Girls!" Miho called out. "Move some to the front!"

"On it!" they replied, and brought half of the fruits to the front, re-balancing the boat.

Nodding in approval, Miho then ran to another tree, a palm tree with...spikes all over its trunk.

"I have never seen that type of tree before," Mako grunted nonchalantly, as she ate her fifth ice cream pod.

Looking up at it, Miho thought for a while, then called out to the girls: "Throw me a few bags!"

Immediately, Saori, Hana, and Yukari each threw a bag at her. Miho caught each one with ease, and ran back and forth between two bushes nearby. She filled one bag with what looked like reddish grapes, while filling the other with what looked like red cherries.

"Catch!" she called out, as she threw both all at once.

"Eek!" the girls reacted, as Yukari and Hana both caught them barely, almost dropping them.

Miho then climbed up a tree nearby the palm, leaning towards the palm tree with spikes. Bunches of dark-purple fruits glittered on the top; Miho rapidly gathered up the fruits, even stuffing some of them into her mouth, until her cheeks puffed.

Saori and Hana both giggled.

"She looks like a chipmunk," Saori remarked, as Miho came down, and jumped all the way into the boat. She laid down the bag, and soon jumped all the way again. At this point, the shores were close enough for the girls leap, since the girls were Chosen; they could now easily leap at least 200 ft. This time, Yukari leaped, and brought a few bags with her.

"I can help!" Yukari called out. "Let's go gathering!"

"Here!" she called out, pointing at another tree. This one had strange fruits, yellow and-

"Star-shaped?!" the girls gasped, while Miho took a bag and ran to another one. This one made her squeal.

"Chocolate!" Miho called out. Immediately, everybody darted a glance at the tree of focus. It was a small tree with football-shaped fruits, but orangish-yellow.

"Those are chocolate?!" the girls gasped.

"The cacao pods!" Miho answered with thrill, as she packed as many as possible into her bag. "Get ready!"

"Man!" Saori groaned, leaping ashore. "We'll help more!"

"I wonder how much we will gather..." Hana pondered audibly.

"This is training from...fruit-hell," Mako remarked.

* * *

 **Still on the river...**

 **3:00 PM; October 8, 20XX**

"Ah..." everybody gasped.

Miho, however, beamed with joy, as the girls managed to gather up 21 different types of fruits, all stacked into separate piles (a few had multiple piles). A few were in bags, but most were on mats and anything to keep the fruits clean.

"What do we have here?!" Saori groaned. She and others were worked almost to death; even when Chosen, their bodies strained with all the efforts to carry, throw, jump, and gather again and again. Only Miho, however, was active; in fact, she acted almost like a little girl.

"We have 21 fruits here!" she declared, beaming. "Bacuri, ice cream pods, cupuaçu, camu camu, acerola cherries, açaí berries, starfruits, cacao pods, Brazil nut capsules-"

"Augh!" Mako and Saori both groaned at that. The Brazil nut capsules were a major headache; they were a little heavier than coconuts, but denser and hit the girls almost like dumbbells. To make matters worse, unlike coconuts or other fruits, the Brazil nuts literally sank, so that the girls lost quite a number of capsules.

"Jabuticaba berries," Miho continued. "Dragonfruits, bananas, papayas, moriche palm fruits, coconuts, canistels, guavas, cashew apples, figs, mangoes, and rambutans!"

She continued to gaze at the fruits with joy.

"Are you curious about them?" Miho asked innocently.

"No," Saori groaned, her back aching. "Uf! You must be happy to feel like in Brazil again, right?"

Miho nodded violently.

"Yes!" Miho replied. "Now, **we're missing some fruits...** "

"Anzu..." Hana said dreamily.

"Momo," Saori chimed in.

"Yuzu," Yukari grunted.

The girls stared at each other, then laughed.

"Man!" Miho admitted, wiping away her tears. "It's been a while since we used the Japanese words for such fruits!"

"Apricots, peaches, and yuzu citrus fruits," Mako remarked. "Well, now that you all mention it, the Student Council all had names based on fruits."

Suddenly, the mood dampened, and all of them sighed. Mako silently opened another ice cream pod, and licked it.

However, Miho brightened up, smiling as she cleared her throat.

"Cheer up," she said, throwing an açaí berry into her mouth, chewing it carefully before swallowing. "Girls, at least we are alive and well. Now that we're safe and sound, let's focus on survival, then on finding our old teammates again."

The others nodded, as they stretched and summoned their weapons. Five weapons gleamed in the sunlight.

"I wonder what will happen?" asked Saori, flapping her fans.

"We have seen strange animals," Mako grunted, flexing her shield and urumi.

"And plants," Hana remarked, swinging her naginata.

"This means!" Yukari declared, clenching her gauntlets. "That this island is full of wonders! Maybe we can find more tanks?"

"Hehe," Miho giggled. "Tanks are important, but more important is getting out alive, and then going back to our old school and country again."

The others nodded with hope.

"But for now," Miho began. "Let us...wait, no way."

She gasped, then the others followed her gaze.

All five stared at something, as if it was from a dream come true.

A squat silhouette of a vehicle stood by the shore to the right of the barge. Its buff armor appeared a little dirty-brown in the sunlight, and a barrel stuck out like a lone tree branch. On top, three silhouettes of familiar figures stood on top of the turretless superstructure.

"Student Council!" the girls screamed.

* * *

 **Well, that was nice. As usual, a story usually starts slow, because of the amount of world-building required. In this case, I intend to build a whole island full of real ecosystems. However, at the same time, I know that this is a GuP fanfic, so I intend to be faithful to that.**

 **And thanks to everyone who bears with me, as I am on this new adventure. Please review, like, follow, and spread the word about this story.**

 **Panzer vor!**


	4. Chapter 4: Turtle Bite

**Greetings from SeekerMeeker; here is the next part.**

 **I wish the girls well!**

* * *

 **Girls Wild Rise**

 **Chapter 4: Turtle Bite**

 **On a river bank...**

 **7:00 AM; October 9, 20XX**

"It's been so long..."

Miho sat down on a river bank, the picnic blanket spread over for her and her petite friend. The two watched, as the sun slowly rose over the horizon again. It felt like the beginning of a brand-new era.

"Nishizumi-chan!" the petite girl spoke, smiling but making a chewing motion in her mouth. "It's been awhile, right?"

"Yes," she replied, turning to look at her President.

Kadotani Anzu looked just like herself, except taller and more robust, like other Chosen Ones. Still short in comparison to the others, her long, twin ponytails seemed longer and redder than Miho remembered.

 _Guess being Chosen affects even our appearance_ , Miho thought. _Although she obviously looks like her usual self, her hair seems brighter and more colorful. Now that I think about it, even our hair and eyes seem to have changed..._

"Nishizumi-chan!" Anzu spoke.

"Yes?" she replied, blinking. "Anzu-sama?"

Anzu waved off.

"Let's get to the point," Anzu said, grinning. "Now that we're in a whole new world, and that we are NOT in Japan anymore, just call me Anzu, OK?"

"Oh...well," Miho interjected, giggling nervously. "That means that you now should call me 'Miho' too."

"Oh! Oops," Anzu replied, giggling in response. "Ah, if I tell you to drop the formality, and I still keep it, well then! Miho-chan~!"

The way she delivered her first name caused Miho to shiver. Even Anzu blinked, as she also reciprocated by shivering.

Then, the two laughed.

"It's been so long," Anzu said, lying down on the blanket. "Since we lost sight of you all in the apocalypse."

"And now," Miho spoke, nodding. "We are here again."

She then looked around. They were the only ones awake. Despite the sun shining down, all of their teammates were exhausted from the previous night. After meeting each other for the first time, the Turtle Team waved in response, and the ship got close enough for the Ankou girls to leap towards the Hetzer, and hugged each other like long-lost relatives.

* * *

 _"Anzu!"_

 _"Momo!"_

 _"Yuzu!"_

 _"Nishizumi-chan!"_

 _"Miho!"_

* * *

The shouts and cries on both sides still rang inside both of the girls' ears. They also remembered how they celebrated...by eating all of the fruits on deck.

" _Ano_ (Japanese for "well")!" Anzu cried out, getting up and stretching. "We've managed to eat almost all of the fruits available. Man, they were so good! What were they, really?

"Hmm," Miho began, taking on a serious face, much like she did in Senshadou. "We had 21 types of fruits-"

"We all know bananas, coconuts, and mangoes," Anzu yawned, stretching. "But you display a rare erudition in such exotic fruits."

"Erudition?" Miho asked.

"Intelligence or great knowledge," Anzu replied, smirking. "Sorry, sometimes I use weird words, ever since I was forced to take such ridiculous school entry exams, which involved memorizing useless words that make you sound elite."

The two laughed again, then sighed in both relief and nostalgia.

"Anyway," Miho said. "I have seen all of these fruits back in Brazil."

"A vacation?" asked Anzu.

Miho nodded, but her eyes showed something else...which Anzu did not notice. Tensing up, Miho got up, hopeful that Anzu did not notice her.

She did not lie, but...there was more to it.

"Miho!" Anzu said, getting up with her. "I know about some of them; they are just like some of our fruits! The acerola cherries look like cherries, but milder and...weirder."

"They are extremely high in vitamin C," Miho explained. "Same for guavas and camu camu berries."

"And the chocolate?" Anzu asked, making a face. "When you cracked the pods, I expected to see some literal chocolate oozing out. Instead, we had to try and grind some 'beans' that looked and tasted...funny."

The girls laughed again.

"Chocolate is technically what you have when you roast and grind the seeds," Miho explained. "I saw how some farmers did it."

"And you know so much," Anzu began. "But what exactly bro-"

She suddenly yawned wide.

"Now I lost interest," Anzu said, stretching. "Sorry, it's been so long..."

Miho giggled a little; Anzu was still Anzu, after all. She also noticed her mouth making a chewing motion again; it was obvious that she missed having her chips in her mouth.

"I like bacuri," Miho interjected, taking out a single fruit to change the topic. She then summoned her chainsaw, shrank it to the size of her arm, and carefully sliced the fruit. The small but audible whirling sounds of the blade stirred a few girls from their sleep.

"Oops," Miho realized, and stopped her blade. Those who stirred stayed down, though.

"You're amazing," Anzu said, whistling. "Man, your weapon is cool!"

"Thank you," Miho replied, smiling as she opened up the fruit.

Outside, the skin was dirty-yellow, but inside the skin was bright yellow, surrounding a snow-white center. Miho then took out the white meat, and savored it in her mouth. As she did so, the bacuri emitted an aroma that made both girls sigh in relief.

"Mmm!" she moaned, as she chewed each piece of the white meat. "This is just like in Brazil!"

"And it smells so...calming," Anzu said, slightly drooling.

"I miss my dried sweet potatoes," she admitted. "And I have no idea how to gather them, even if they are around here."

"If there are these exotic fruits," Miho said. "Then, we should be able to find some sweet potatoes around. In fact, sweet potatoes actually originated in South America, and most of these fruits are from Brazil."

"Do we have more ice cream pods?" Mako's voice echoed, her silhouette getting up. "Ice cream..."

"Ma-Mako!" Saori groaned, getting up. "Stop with ice cream and all!"

All of the girls slept in tents, mostly of the kind salvaged from their times in California. Hence, most of them were cheap but still usable. All of the girls eventually woke up, albeit at different rates.

"Oh..." a tall girl with short, black hair and a pair of black eyes got out of her tent, groaning. She was fixing her single eyeglass.

"On a side note," Anzu uttered, turning to look at Miho. "How tall are we?"

Miho blinked.

"Why are you curious?" Miho asked. "Don't we all grow by at least 40 cm?"

"That's what I thought," Anzu admitted. "But I mean...since we grow so fast so sudden..."

"Ah," Miho replied, nodding. "Girls, we have something to do after breakfast..."

* * *

 **On a river bank...**

 **9:00 AM; October 9, 20XX**

"Stand up, please."

Miho and Anzu both inspected their teammates. Saori, Mako, Hana, and Yukari all stood in front of their tank, with Mako leaning on Saori.

"Why did you all name it 'Panzer X'?" asked Anzu, staring up and whistling at the tank. "Sure, it vaguely resembles your old tank, except bigger, better, and cooler."

"Plus the cannon is larger and...stranger?" Miho added. "I coined the name, since 'X' is used to mean mysterious, like in X-ray. And my teammates liked it."

"So," Anzu said, turning to look at her own team. "Should we rename ours?"

The Hetzer looked like its original, except larger and-

"Did you all color it golden again?" Miho asked, feeling some sweat drop.

"It was Anzu's idea," a buxom girl with dark brown hair remarked. She and the tall girl with monocle stood in front of the Hetzer.

"It actually changes color," the monocled girl curtly replied, fixing her eyeglass. "Depending on where we are, and our mood."

"Ah," Miho said. "No wonder it was buff when we first saw it, then it turned golden?"

"Yes," the ponytailed girl replied. "Miho-san, and Momo-chan."

"Yuzu-chan!" the monocled girl roared, stomping her feet, a cloud of magical dust forming around her. "Don't call me that! Seriously...we have not really changed."

The girls giggled in response, while Miho smiled.

"Well girls!" Anzu called out. "Shall we start?"

"Yay!" the Ankou girls all yelled out, raising their right fists.

"Wait," Yukari blurted out, keeping her arm raised. "What are we doing again?"

"Measurement time," Anzu said, grinning as she stretched a measurement tape.

Saori immediately shrank behind Mako.

"Saori-chan," Mako groaned nonchalantly. "Please, we're measuring heights, not body."

Sighing in relief, she came out again.

"Who's first?" Anzu asked, but gave a long stare at...

"Hmm?" Miho asked, as EVERYBODY stared at her...

* * *

Anzu dropped the measuring tape.

"2-258 cm," Anzu replied, giggling nervously.

"WHAT?!" the girls shouted, gasping.

"Well..." Miho giggled in agreement. "So, I think we all got taller."

The others then hesitantly tried.

"Saori, Yukari, and Yuzu all are 257 cm tall," Anzu noted, whistling. "Just one centimeter short!"

"I am 245 cm," Mako said bluntly.

"I stand at 263 cm tall," Hana noted, sighing. "I feel...too tall."

"I am the tallest," Momo grunted."264 cm. Heh! Just one centimeter taller! And you, President?"

Anzu measured herself, slyly grinning as she tiptoed a little.

"Prez..." her teammates groaned.

"Just kidding," Anzu said, as she stopped tiptoeing and honestly measured herself. "242 cm."

"That means," Mako remarked. "We have increased in height from 40 cm to 100 cm."

"Why that much taller?!" Saori groaned, kneeling down as if sick. "Man, at that rate, I can't attract boys!"

"Just grow up," Mako groaned in response, causing the redhead to tease her.

"Any ideas why we are now taller than before?" Anzu asked rhetorically.

"The Orb," the Ankou girls all replied.

"Sorry?" the Turtle girls asked, puzzled.

"Ah," Miho realized, clearing her throat a little. "Well, you see..."

* * *

 **On a river bank...**

 **9:30 AM; October 9, 20XX**

"...and that's how everything came about," Miho explained as much of her and her team's story as possible.

Anzu, Momo, and Yuzu all stared at Miho, thunderstruck. Miho explained as much as possible her team's story, especially the nature of the Orb, and how it was intertwined with the zombies, and the Chosen Ones, something not everyone knew, including the Turtle Team.

"Well," Anzu stretched, her mouth still chewing an invisible dried sweet potato chip. "You guys are amazing."

"That is noble," Yuzu said, nodding.

"Well," Momo said, tears falling out. "Sniff-sniff! That's why we're safe!"

She then roared into tears.

"Momo-chan," Yuzu teased, comforting her by giving her a handkerchief. Momo snatched it away, and blew it until it was drenched wet with her...yeah. Yuzu made a face, as she carefully washed it in the river, while Saori brought out some soap to help.

"Hey girls!" Anzu suddenly roared, catching everyone's attention. "How about we have a duel?"

"Eh?!" the others reacted with a start.

"We are Chosen, of course," she reasoned. "And since it's been so long, why not practice with each other?"

"Great idea," Miho said, smiling and nodding. She stretched her arms, causing her own friends to...flinch.

"What's wrong?" asked Yuzu, noticing them.

"That's a bad idea," Mako whispered frantically. "Oh boy..

"After we prepare our stuff," Miho said. Her friends sighed in relief.

"And Anzu's usual stuff," Momo grunted. "Just randomly saying things without a really good reason, just like the time we just went to the beach."

"Except this is justified," Yuzu remarked.

* * *

 **On a river bank...**

 **10:00 AM; October 9, 20XX**

The girls were now moving on. They decided to move to a good location, hoping to find a wide plain nearby the river, so that they could have their duel. The Hetzer was moving parallel to the boat, since there was no suitable place for the boat to dock, forcing it to move alongside the tank destroyer.

Miho sat with Anzu, and analyzed the tank. The Hetzer looked just like its usual self; to her surprise, unlike her Panzer, the Hetzer looked virtually identical to its former self, only larger with a futuristic cannon, which was ornamented to look like a harpoon with a hole at the end. Miho then occasionally jumped up and down, gathering fruits from the nearby trees.

"Too much dense vegetation," Miho remarked. "But plenty of fruits."

Anzu, however, was lazily lying down on top of the Hetzer, still making chewing motions in her mouth.

"How long is the trip?" Mako asked.

She and all of the Ankou girls remained on the boat. Yukari was using a set of binoculars on a lookout, while Saori and Hana checked their supplies and belongings. Mako lied down on top of the Panzer's turret, just like Anzu.

"It may be long," Miho replied. "Since we're still not sure of this place."

"Yeah," Anzu grunted. "We've seen only the jungles here. Many birds and fruits..."

She kept trying to chew something, which Miho understood.

"Ah!" Miho noted, seeing something. "Yuzu-sama, Mako-san! Please stop the tanks!"

The Hetzer stopped, and Miho jumped down to check a clump of vines on the ground. The mass of vegetation had heart-shaped leaves, with trumpet-shaped flowers of a pale purple color.

"Good!" Miho uttered, checking the vines and the flowers. "These are sweet potatoes!"

Anzu immediately got up, and jumped down to follow Miho, who was already pulling the vines. Football-sized, tuberous roots came out in bunches.

"Oh boy," Anzu said, almost shaking with joy. "Finally, it's been so long..."

The girls continued on, as the boat now had a colossal pile of tubers, as high as Saori herself, who kept watch over it.

"The issue is," she said, as she and Hana both washed the tubers, putting them into a separate pile. "How should we dry them?"

"With fire," Mako grunted, as her urumi-as if having a life of its own-cut the tubers into chip-sized pieces. "Of course."

The Ankou girls stared at Saori, who sighed as she summoned her fans.

"Yes-yes," she replied, and fanned the fire into some of the chips...which burnt to a crisp, black color.

"Oops," she responded.

"Maybe we need to make a machine to dry the chips," Mako groaned, getting up. "I will see what to do..."

The journey continued on and on, as the girls traveled together. Mako was now trying to make a contraption from a variety of gadgets, in an attempt to make a food dehydrator. Both the boat and the Hetzer moved on. The girls continued to process the sweet potatoes, until they were all cut into chips. Then, with Anzu's permission, Saori cooked some of them, for others to eat, while Anzu passionately packed the chips into bags to store for later drying. Miho then started to collect more fruits again, and threw them at the girls. This time, the girls got a net from the Turtle Team, and used that to capture the fruits. A large hammock of net is situated between the Panzer and the back deck, stretching gradually down under the weight of the fruits.

Suddenly, Yukari gasped in delight.

"I find an open land!" she yelled out loud.

"Finally!" Momo groaned audibly. "Glad to be out of the freaky forest!"

"You sound cute," Yuzu said. "Momo-chan."

"Stop calling me that!" she screamed in response, but stopped when she and others sighted it.

As they passed through the edge of the forest, they felt like in a different world, as if they were instantly teleported to a new planet. Although there was still a long line of trees on the river's edges, the girls could clearly see the savanna.

All of them stared in awe, as the realm was so...

"It feels like Serengeti," Hana remarked, gazing at the sight.

"You've been there?" asked Saori, although she continued to stare at the spectacle.

"As a kid," she admitted. "But this one is...more beautiful."

The savanna spanned over the horizon, looking like one colossal plain. Rows of dense forests weaved like snakes through patches of grasslands, dotted by a neatly spaced network of trees. The girls recognized some trees as oaks, while others were too bizarre to be understood.

"This looks more like Cerrado," Miho suddenly remarked, gazing at the savanna.

"Cerrado?" asked Mako, the only one to hear her.

"Cerrado has more trees than a typical savanna," Miho explained. "In fact, when my family visited it once, I mistook it for a forest, because there were so many trees."

However, this was indeed a savanna. Between the trees and the grasses, herds after herds of animals roamed. Some were instantly recognizable, such as the elephants and the giraffes. Others, however, were...

"What is that?" Saori asked, her face frowning into an expression of confusion.

The others looked. An elephant-sized figure rose up like a bear, clawing at a tree's crown. Its equine mouth projected out a long tongue, snatching away leaves and forcing them into its mouth.

"Giant ground sloth," Mako answered, gawking. " _Meg-Megatherium americanum_."

"Cool!" Yukari squealed. "Isn't that an extinct species?"

They also sighted more bizarre animals; some looked like antelopes, but with forked antlers that looked like those from slingshots. Others looked like giant camels with short trunks. Still, others were too bizarre to be described properly.

"Wow," the girls responded.

"All this," said Anzu. "Caused by the Orb?"

"I-I guess so," Miho replied.

"Oh boy," Anzu remarked. "We better be ready for that..."

Miho clenched her chest, tense.

"In the meantime," she said. "Much as we want to enjoy this view, we still need to find a better place to dock..."

* * *

 **On a river bank...**

 **12:00 PM; October 9, 20XX**

"This is it," Miho said. "We're here."

After hours of sightseeing the savanna, the girls finally found a suitable open spot, especially one with a natural ramp. Apparently, it was a hill that somehow got caught in half, and stretched all the way to the middle of the river. Seeing this, the girls docked the barge next to it, and Mako drove it carefully onto it.

"Alright!" Anzu shouted out, stretching as if going to swim. "Are we ready?"

"Not yet, Prez!" Momo groaned, gathering up some fruits. "We need to eat first!"

"Didn't we just eat?" asked Yuzu. "Momo-chan?"

"Stop that!" she wailed. "I am hungry, though."

"Me too."

"Me three."

"Let's eat," said Miho, chewing on cacao beans. "Then, after 30 minutes, let us get ready."

* * *

 **An hour later...**

"Between us and you all," Anzu taunted, stretching again.

"How many times did she say that?" asked Yukari. "And why is she stretching that many times?"

"Dunno," said Saori.

"So," said Yukari, puzzled. "What's this duel?"

Miho also had the same confused look. On an area that was all grass and no tree or any obstacle, she was facing against Anzu. However, their tanks were facing each other as well. In fact, Miho noted that the only challengers were her, Anzu, and their tanks. The rest were partially spectating, and partially doing some "survival business"; Saori was cooking some food, as the girls soon found themselves hungry again.

Yukari, Momo, and Hana were out gathering some wild fruits...well, it was more of Yukari gathering, Momo struggling with some vines, and Hana sculpting them into works of art.

"Hana!" Saori shouted in annoyance. "This is survival, not art, you know!"

"It's beautiful," she said dreamily, fixing the vines here and there. "Look, these vines are amazingly obedient."

Saori rolled her eyes, and continued to cook. Some meters away, Mako was keeping watch on the natural ramp, sitting down and munching on ice cream pods. Yuzu was checking the entirety of the boat, inspecting their supplies and whatnot.

"You may have defeated the Orb," Anzu began, grinning very wide. Miho got tense, but remembered to NOT summon her weapon; they had a rule banning that for the duel. Indeed, for this battle, they decided that it was Panzer vs. Hetzer only, no girl involved. Miho thought that odd, but decided to see what would happen.

"But," she continued, making a glint in the eye, which Miho noticed. Suddenly, the Hetzer revved its engine.

"E-eh?!" Miho gasped, and all of her friends nearby heard it loud and clear.

"What the!" Saori uttered, getting up to watch. She accidentally spilled a scoop of stew, but she did not care. Momo grinned, while Yukari and Hana both watched in shock.

The Hetzer turned its tracks around, then moved out of the way of the Panzer's cannon. Turning again, the Hetzer aimed its turretless body towards Miho's tank. Miho could hear the Hetzer's interior make creaking noises, and the sound of something she knew.

A shell loaded in.

"We have our own," Anzu waved her hands up, as if ready to give the signal. "Tricks up the sleeves! Ute!"

The Hetzer's cannon fired, its shell blazing through. However, it merely scraped the Panzer's armored skirt, before ricocheting off.

"Man!" Anzu moaned. "Our Hetzer got stronger, but you guys still have the armor!"

"W-wait!" Miho gasped. "Yes, we agreed that this duel was tank vs. tank, but I have no idea how to control it separately!"

"We just found out," Anzu said, smirking. "You better learn it, then."

"Oh shoot," Momo groaned. "Prez, don't say that..."

Miho blinked, then nodded. She then focused, her left arm shot out like a cannon, her palm facing her Panzer. A ball of energy glowed and fired, trailing a golden trail as it struck the tank. Anzu blinked.

"Uh oh," she realized.

Immediately, the Panzer revved its own engine, as if rudely woken from its nap. The thundering vehicle then drove back, just in time to avoid another shot from the Hetzer.

"Already!" Momo remarked, her face crestfallen.

" **Magic defeats magic** ," Miho replied, as she concentrated. "And tanks..."

Her Panzer roared, then drove to the right the Hetzer, ramming it with its cannon stuck right into the caterpillar tracks. The Hetzer struggled to free itself, but the Panzer's cannon wedged as close as possible into the Hetzer's side.

"...defeat tanks," she replied. "Ute!"

BOOM!

The Hetzer smoked, then a white flag shot out.

"Already?!" Momo and Yuzu both shouted in disbelief, running towards Anzu. Anzu just shrugged, a sheepish grin pasted on her face.

"Well," Anzu said, giggling. "That was such a short match. I shouldn't have told Miho that little hint."

"Well!" Momo grunted in response, as Yuzu stretched out her hands, the Hetzer immediately starting to repair itself. "That was unexpected!"

" **Magic is magic** ," Miho said, shrugging. "I guess if it can be used to fix our tank, then I can also use it to control it."

"Just by imagination?" Saori gasped, as she gazed in wonder at their tank.

"But only Anzu for our Hetzer," said Momo. "It appears that the official commander is the only one who can do that completely."

Saori and Yukari both groaned.

"However," Momo said. "It appears that each of us has a different power, based on our position on the tank."

"Really?" Hana, Yukari, and Saori all asked. Not far behind, Mako was walking towards them, as Yuzu was running to watch the boat.

"It depends on your position," explained Momo. "From our experience, Anzu could control the WHOLE tank. However, Yuzu can remotely drive the Hetzer, but only can do that. In return, she controls it better than Prez can. But Prez also does incredibly well with the cannon; she and I are the only ones who can shift the Hetzer's cannon size."

"And?" Yukari asked, her eyes glittering.

"Since I am the radio commander and the loader," Momo said, a little annoyed. "I can control its radio and its loading remotely. Plus, I am the only one who can alter the shells, so that they have various effects, but this is all speculation."

"Eh?" Yukari and others groaned. "Why even say it?"

"But it is possible," began Momo. "That shells like ours are affected by the likes of Yuzu's ele-"

"Hey-hey!" Anzu cut Momo off. "Let's save that for a surprise! Another match!"

"Eh?!" the girls reacted with a start.

"Another match?" Mako groaned. "Seriously?"

"This time..." Anzu said, smirking.

* * *

 **On a river bank...**

 **12:30 PM; October 9, 20XX**

"This is revenge," Momo remarked. "Right?"

Miho blinked, her face innocent and neutral as she was surrounded by three people. The whole Turtle Team circled her. In the background, everybody was now watching, except for Mako, who was watching the boat again. This time, Saori was recording the fight using her phone. Although they could not make contact, their phones still could use cameras and other features that did not need communications networks.

"You ready?" Anzu asked.

"Ready," Miho replied. She stretched out her right hand, and summoned her chainsaw. Still bearing its sword shape, down to even the point at the tip, Miho then pulled the string.

 _Brum-brum-brum-brrr!_

The blades cut true, spinning with fury. Golden and light magenta sparks started to emit en masse from the sword. Miho then breathed carefully, wielding the sword like a martial artist.

"Oh-ho!" Anzu said. "That is nice!"

"We saw glimpses of you and your team's weapons," said Momo, getting ready. "But this is the first time we're seeing up and close!"

Miho noticed a small grin from Momo, which Momo quickly wiped away.

"A chainsaw sword?" Yuzu noted. "That's odd; why chainsaw?"

"I have no idea," Miho admitted. "Other than the fact that a chainsaw is one of the typical weapons associated with zombie fights."

All of the girls shivered on impulse. They did NOT want to think about that.

"Well," Anzu said, trying to change the topic. She stretched her arms, and her teammates did likewise.

"Get ready..." she whispered, as Miho prepared.

"I wonder what their Hands of God are?" asked Saori.

"Must be cool!" Yukari noted.

Miho stood still, focused as the three started to summon their weapons.

"One..." Miho silently counted down, as the girls' weapons started to appear.

"Two..."

The clouds of magical energy started to solidify, taking the shape of three types of weapons.

"Three!"

 _Slash!_

 _Crash!_

 _Bang!_

 _Swoop!_

 _Brum!_

The Anglerfish girls all gawked, as Saori recorded the fight for Mako to watch. Miho quickly swung her chainsaw, deflecting what looked like a giant hammer from Momo. Yuzu, however, held what looked like a staff, concentrating from a distance. However, it was Anzu who was giving her a good run for her money.

"Take that!" Anzu snickered, as she threw a straight volley of daggers like a machine gun's fire. Round after round, however, Miho deflected them all with the swing of her blade.

Momo, however, was having a hard time hitting her.

"Bang already!" Momo screamed, as she raised her giant hammer to slam down on Miho. However, Miho did not move, as the hammer slammed down, sending a huge shockwave that...missed her.

"Momo-chan," Yuzu called out. "You missed."

"Shut up!" she screamed in agony. She raised up her hammer again.

"That's one big hammer," Yukari noted, whistling.

"Yuzu!" Anzu ordered. "Now!"

Anzu immediately charged at her, which Miho blocked. However, she realized that it was a ruse, giving Yuzu the time to launch her attack.

"Wow!" Saori squealed. "She uses electricity!"

Yuzu's staff buzzed with bolts of electricity. Then, its top, which held what looked like a small bunch of oranges, glowed bright-yellow, and a huge bolt struck Miho...

...except it struck her chainsaw.

 _Bzzz..._

 _WHIRRLLLL-BBBRRRRRR-BBBBRRRRUUMMMM-BZZZZZZ!_

A thunderous roar echoed from the blade, as Miho's sword absorbed the massive energy. It screamed and blazed with golden and light magenta bolts of electricity, almost as if the blade would burst like a bubble.

"Oops," Yuzu uttered, realizing what had transpired.

"Oh no," Momo gawked.

"Eheheh..." Anzu giggled nervously, then dropped her daggers. "It's over."

SLASH-BOOM!

Miho immediately spun around, her blade emitting a colossal pillar of electrical energy. The pillar swung with her sword, hitting all of the Turtle girls in one go. Then, the pillar exploded, incinerating the dueling area. Trees swayed away, trying to escape. The grasses all around the girls were scorched. The impact sent out a huge gust of wind, forcing the spectating girls to grab hold of their supplies, in order to prevent them from being blown away. By the time the dust settled, Miho was standing casually, wondering what had happened. Meanwhile, her teammates gawked from a safe distance, while the Student Council lied on the ground, moaning in pain.

"Oh..." Anzu groaned. "Maybe electricity was not a good idea."

"Augh..." Momo moaned. "Man, my hammer missed again!"

"Oops," Yuzu giggled. "Th-that was fun, though."

Miho giggled in agreement, and helped her friends up.

"OK," said Saori. "How about some lunch?"

"How about after one more round?" Anzu asked.

"Seriously?!" the Ankou girls all gasped.

"We heal fast," Anzu said. "Why not another challenge?"

* * *

 **On a river bank...**

 **1:30 PM; October 9, 20XX**

"Ouch."

Saori groaned, as she and Anzu helped out with the cooking. Once again, their camp had numerous grills and stoves, boiling, grilling, and even frying a variety of food. They were now cooking after the third match, in which three of Ankou girls fought against the Turtle Team.

"Why can't we hunt first?" Momo groaned, as she and the others helped to sort out their supplies.

"It's because we have to prioritize what's important," Miho said, as she checked a pile of supplies. "And what's not."

"Such as getting rid of some foodstuffs," said Saori. "That have a small expiration date."

"The most important things go into our tanks," Hana chimed in. "Then, we have the rest on the boat."

"Just in case," Yukari said, as she lifted up multiple boxes all at once. "Man, it sure feels good to be strong!"

"But we're so tall!" Saori moaned, watching and touching her body all around. "I mean, I feel not only taller, but also..."

"More robust?" Mako finished, causing Saori to tease her furiously.

"Ah..." Saori groaned, stretching her body. "Man, Anzu-sama. You sure gave me quite the beatdown."

"Thank you," Anzu smirked, as she checked the skewers and other foodstuffs on the grill. "I practiced my daggers a lot. And you can just call me Anzu."

"It was her skill that helped us to survive," Yuzu said. "While we had to save Momo-chan a couple of times."

"Shut up!" Momo groaned, threatening to slam down her hammer.

Miho looked at her Turtle friends. Anzu wielded two daggers, both of which can multiply into disposable versions; it was this way that allowed Anzu to easily defeat Saori, whose blasts of fire were not numerous enough to deflect them all.

In the third and last duel, the Turtle girls challenged three of the Ankou girls. Anzu won against Saori, simply by raining down on her with a huge volley of daggers. Momo went up against Yukari; unlike Anzu, Momo wielded a giant hammer, its head the size of an anvil but shaped like a megaphone. In fact, it doubled as one, too!

"WATCH THIS!" Momo's blared back in the duel. She was using her voice to try and throw Yukari off, but Yukari's sharp ears avoided the blast in time. Then, once again, Momo slammed down the hammer, creating a shockwave that...missed again. With that, Yukari delivered a sucker punch, knocking her down in one go.

"Man..." Yuzu moaned, stretching her tired body. "Hana-san, you sure gave me the run for the money there."

"Money?" Hana asked. "I did not give you money."

"She means that you gave her a nice beatdown," said Saori.

"Ah," Hana nodded. "Wait, beatdown?"

"Defeat," Mako said, sounding a little annoyed.

"Ah, I see," Hana said, nodding.

Hana faced against Yuzu, who tried to paralyze her with her bolts. However, Hana deflected them, using her naginata like a lightning rod to channel the energy down into the ground. Once Yuzu got tired, Hana swung at her, defeating her.

"That's an English idiom," Saori said. "Speaking of that, we've been using English a lot lately."

"Hey," Anzu said, shrugging. "We're in America, so I guess we just got used to it."

"Sweet potatoes are being dried well," Mako's small voice echoed, causing Anzu to dash towards her. Mako was using her new invention, a conglomeration of fans and other devices to rapidly dry the cut pieces of sweet potatoes. Anzu whipped out a bunch of plastic bags.

"But yes," Hana said. "I definitely won there, with you using your electric attacks to try and hit me."

"And you held your ground well," Yuzu remarked. "You have nerves of steel."

"Steel that conducts electricity well," Miho remarked and smiled, causing Hana to blush, a rare sight.

"So," Anzu said, coming back to her plastic bags full of dried sweet potatoes, while chewing on a good number inside of her mouth. "Wha-a-we-rup-two?"

"Prez!" her teammates groaned. "Please, take this seriously, for once."

Miho then watched and thought...

* * *

 _"Hmm,"_ she wondered _. "Being Chosen is unique for each of us. Each of our Hand of God is unique in a way. I have this chainsaw, shaped like a greatsword, which looks quite odd...well, I am the oddball in my family. It's golden-yellow, but with other stripes and colorations, mostly of light magenta, red, white, and blue. My power is...what is it, really? It's not electricity, even though it looks like one..."_

 _"Saori-san uses war fans, and can wield fire. Hana-san has a naginata, with which she seems to have a limited control over plants. Yukari-san has gauntlets for punching, but seems to be more...I am not sure about hers. Mako-san has a set: a shield and an urumi, and she seems to...use water?"_

 _She watched, as her friends tried to use their powers for some practical use. Saori flapped her fans, creating powerful flames that easily cooked, smoked, and dried some foodstuffs for storage. Hana was cutting away the vines, while inducing some of the plants to expose themselves, so that Anzu was able to gather up more sweet potatoes. Yukari was fixing the tanks; although not obvious, Miho could tell that her powers seemed to fix the tanks the best. Mako let her urumi dangle into the waters, apparently calming the waters down._

 _"And,"_ Miho mused, turning to look at the Turtle Team...

 _Anzu wielded daggers and could multiply them. Momo shouted orders at the others, using her hammer, which doubled as a megaphone due to its shape; she appeared to use sound waves. Yuzu was the most obvious; she wielded a staff and utilized electricity. Hence, she was responsible for charging up all of the gadgets and equipment that ran on electricity._

* * *

"Hah!" Yuzu gasped, sitting down on the back deck of the boat. "Done!"

"Alright!" Momo began, roaring from her hammer-phone. "We are ready to-"

 _Grrr..._

An audible growl rang from Momo's stomach, which echoed into the hammer. The others watched her, as her face became red with embarrassment.

"D-d-don't look at me!" she gasped furiously, hiding her face with her hammer.

 _Grrr..._

Another growl occurred. This time, the girls turned around to stare at...Miho.

"Miho-san?" Hana asked, blinking. "I...I was expecting my own stomach to do that."

"Didn't you eat?" asked Saori.

"Actually," Miho said. "There are different types of hunger. I am not hungry, because I ate. I am hungry, because I did not eat enough of one thing."

The others tilted their heads, puzzled.

"Meat hunger," Miho replied. "I did not eat enough meat."

"Didn't you eat?" Saori asked, surprised.

"Actually," she admitted. "There was only enough meat for the seven of us, so I opted to-"

"Miporin!" Saori roared. "You're too nice!"

"Well," Anzu said. "Shall we go on a hunt? I'll go with you, and we'll find a suitable animal to take back."

"OK," Miho nodded.

In a few seconds, Miho and Anzu got ready, with bags and other equipment needed to butcher and store pieces of meat. The duo went on their way, while letting the girls finish with their business, such as feeding Momo to fill up her stomach.

"Let's meet up past the river," Miho said, pointing at a point in the distance. "Take your boat there, and we should meet up there with you. If we don't come back, send two of you to come and check us."

The others nodded, and said farewell.

* * *

"Boy!" Anzu said, as she and Miho walked through the thick grass. "Isn't this like safari?"

"It is," Miho said, as she walked through the less dense parts of the vegetation. "We have to find something healthy and good to eat."

"Just any animal?" Anzu asked. She shook her head.

"No," Miho said. "You have to watch for something called rabbit starvation."

"Rabbit starvation?" Anzu asked.

"Known as protein poisoning," Miho explained, as she and Anzu found a nice path of shorter grass. "It's basically when you have too much protein, and not enough fat. Even hunter-gatherers know this well; they do not eat meat, even if the carcass has plenty. They check the animal for its fat content, then leave it alone if it does not have enough."

Suddenly, Miho saw something, and shushed Anzu. Anzu reciprocated, and the two watched.

A giant herbivore sauntered into view, its long and massive limbs lifting its body above the grass. It looked like a giant version of a camel, but more robust and with an unusual hump.

In fact, Miho tilted her head, confused.

"That's a camel," she whispered, thinking. "But bigger and...odd."

"How so?" Anzu whispered back.

"See the hump?" Miho asked, pointing. "A camel's hump looks like a single mountain, but that camel's hump resembles a tunnel greenhouse, or three mountains fused together to form a log-like shape."

"Doesn't that hold water?" asked Anzu.

"No," Miho replied, shaking her head. "That's a myth; camels store not water, but fat in their humps."

The giant camel grunted, looking around. Miho then stalked it, getting closer and closer, careful to avoid trampling on the drier vegetation. She slowly summoned her sword, while Anzu readied her daggers.

"And why do we get this one?" asked Anzu.

"This one has plenty of fat inside of the hump," Miho said. "Let's get this one-"

Suddenly, the camel emitted a strange roar, and burst into a sprint. Miho immediately chased after it, with Anzu following behind.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Something disturbed it!" Miho cried out. "But not us!"

The camel galloped, roaring furiously as Miho chased after it. Glimpsing, Miho noticed something else chase after it...

Miho sprinted even faster, her blade whirling and buzzing audibly.

 _Brum-brum-brum-brrr!_

"Get ready!" Miho roared, as she swung her blade, blazing a pillar of golden light, which slammed down upon the camel. It went down instantly, stumbling into a pile of green grass.

"Nice!" Anzu cried out. "That was great!"

"Miho-san?!" a familiar voice erupted from a distance, the same silhouette that was chasing after the camel. It appeared like a smallish, slim person, wielding what looked like a pole.

Both of the girls gasped, as it stumbled into view.

"Noriko-san!"

* * *

 **Another reunion is in the making. Let us wait for the next...**

 **So yes, the story is finally taking off, as our heroes are reuniting again and again!**

 **I am thankful to everyone who is reviewing this, and thankful to God for this rare opportunity to meet new friends, and find a new path in life.**

 **Please review, like, follow etc. I appreciate it and thank you everybody for all of the support.**

 **I give a shout-out to** **der Jagdexperte; I fixed the battle scene between the Panzer and the Hetzer after he pointed out errors with it.**

 **Spoiler hint: I may post up a poll, but not yet.**

 **And let us go; panzer vor!**


	5. Chapter 5: Duck Hunt

**Greetings from SeekerMeeker; another chapter.**

 **If you notice it, there is a reason why the chapters seem to be uploading quite fast.**

 **(Hint: check the bottom of the chapter, but preferably try and deduce from my story who's coming back.)**

* * *

 **Girls Wild Rise**

 **Chapter 5: Duck Hunt**

 **At the same river from before...**

 **3:00 PM; October 9, 20XX**

"Where are they?"

Saori asked the obvious question, as the others pondered. They had been waiting for over an hour, as they traveled up the river. Yuzu was driving the Hetzer, while Mako was driving the Panzer. The boat was filled to the brim with more food, mostly in the form of fruits and some vegetables, mostly sweet potatoes.

Meanwhile, the others were doing about their business. Saori was cooking food, using grills and the food dehydrator to dry sweet potatoes. Momo was pacing back and forth, her stress oozing out. Hana was gazing at the riverbank, admiring rows after rows of flowers, while using her long naginata to row the boat, as if the boat was a gondola from Venice. Yukari was the only one on the lookout, using her binoculars to survey the landscapes.

"So far," she replied. "I don't see anyone."

"Augh!" Momo screamed out in frustration, her hair flashing in the sunlight. "We have to send two of us to search for them!"

"But who?" asked Saori, as she checked the food dehydrator. It was whirling in a rhythmic fashion.

"I don't care!" Momo groaned. "Long as two of us go-"

"Hey!" Yukari suddenly cried out. "I see something coming our way. It's moving very fast..."

Everybody tensed up, and all girls summoned their weapons, even those inside of the tanks. The tanks and the boat stopped, as Hana halted the boat and raised her naginata. Yukari clenched her gauntlets, while Saori whipped out her fans, embers blazing out. Momo shook a little, her hammer quaking with energy as she held it out. Yuzu and Mako both came out of their hatches, flashing out their weapons.

Something big was flying through the grass, as if it was a low-flying airplane or a helicopter. However, its silhouette was clearly NOT an aircraft, despite what looked like small wings jutting out of its sides. It looked odd, yet familiar...

"Wait a second," Yukari uttered, blinking. "That tank...did something happen to it?"

"What is it?" asked Saori.

"I want to say it," Yukari began. "But I do not want to-"

A silhouette of something slim leaped out of the tank, as the girls faintly heard a voice from the giant thing...

"Noriko-san! Don't just leap away!"

"GUUUTTTTSSSS!" came the roar from the jumping figure, as it flew towards the tanks and the boat.

Momo lowered down her hammer, immediately recognizing the voice, as she she sighed in relief.

"Them again..."

* * *

 **Two hours later...**

"Food is gone again..."

Saori sighed, but smiled as she saw everybody happy. They celebrated again, as a new tank joined the team. Four more girls joined in, talking loudly with the others. Miho was now sitting right next to a slim, tomboyish girl, who almost resembled Miho, but with browner, darker hair and eyes.

"Noriko-san," Miho said, reclining in the grass with her. "It's been so long."

"Yes!" Noriko replied, grinning. "I thought we're lonely again!"

"And finally united!" Yukari cried out, rubbing her cheek against the newest tank. "Type 89B I-Go! But..."

She shed a single tear.

"...it's so different!" she moaned, sniffing at its new appearance. "It looks like somebody mutilated it with wings! It reminds me of something..."

She rubbed her fluffy hair, trying to remember something. Miho looked at the tank.

The Type 89B I-Go still resembled its old self. Just like the Panzer and the Hetzer, however, it also was radically transformed. It still was unmistakably the same Type 89, but more streamlined; Miho noted that it vaguely reminded her of a modern Olympic bobsled, due to its sleeker appearance. It had a subtle but unusual paint theme; while the upper half resembled the original color, the bottom half was whiter.

"Why is it colored differently?" asked Saori, looking at it as she cleaned up the grills with Anzu and Yuzu.

"Countershading," Mako replied, sitting down with the others.

"Sorry?" she asked.

"In a very short sentence," Mako explained. "Countershading uses darkest colors on top, and lightest on the bottom, in order to create an illusion of flatness, confusing the animals."

"In other words," Miho said. "It prevents the target from being visible, due to the presence of shadows."

"Nice," Mako said, grinning a little. "Somebody listened."

Saori pouted, but continued to clean up, as the others kept on talking.

"Alright!" Noriko said out loud, standing and stretching her hands out.

"Wait!" Miho began. "You don't have to..."

She giggled, as all four members of the Duck Team summoned out their weapons, proudly wielding them...

* * *

Isobe Noriko was the leader of her team, but at first glance she might be confused for a middle school girl. A slim tomboy in appearance, she even looked like an actual boy. Miho and her friends checked their heights, and as suspected, all four grew 100 cm. This still made Noriko the smallest in her team, standing at 243 cm, just one centimeter taller than Anzu. She was even dressed like a boy, down to her shirt and pants, except with a few vague stains that indicated her living in the wild.

"Yeah!" she screamed out loud, spinning and playing with her Hand of God, a little too enthusiastically. She was display what looked like a long, bamboo staff.

"A staff?" asked Saori.

"That's a gun!" Miho gasped.

"Gun?" asked Saori. "A long goon or gun?"

Miho shook her head.

"Gun is a type of Chinese staff," Miho answered. "But Noriko's also vaguely resembles a nunchaku."

Yukari was beaming, as she actually IMAGINED the staff as a literal gun.

The other three also displayed their weapons, swinging them around like dancers. Kondou Taeko was a tall (267 cm), buxom girl wearing a red bandanna in her pinkish-brown hair (which was now a little pinker than usual). Her own Hand of God was a spear with a leaf-shaped blade at the tip and a red tassel, shaped just like her own bandanna.

"A qiang," Miho remarked.

"A spear, right?" inferred Mako.

Miho nodded, but noticed that Saori was giving looks at Taeko, whose breasts bounced a little.

"The only issue is," Taeko said. "That our bras seem too small."

Saori looked at her own chest, and Miho noticed that even Anzu lazily glanced at her own chest. Giggling, Miho then looked at the others.

Kawanishi Shinobu was the tallest in her group; in fact, Miho recalled that she was the tallest of all girls in the Senshadou club. Before the change, she was 170 cm tall; now, she has grown 100 cm taller. Her small ponytail beheld brown hair that was a little redder than usual, much like Noriko's. However, she was quite slender, and she occasionally gave glances at her better-endowed teammates, while wielding her dual swords, which looked unusual, with crescent guards and even hooks at the tips.

"Tiger hook swords?" Miho asked.

Shinobu blinked, then swung them. The blades morphed into more normal-looking swords.

"Ah!" Miho gasped. "Jian!"

"Jian?" the other girls asked.

"Chinese double-edged swords," Miho explained.

"Wait a minute," Mako said. "How do you know so much about such weapons?"

Miho giggled nervously.

"My mom forced me to learn," was all she replied. A few girls, especially Mako and Momo, shivered.

Last but not least, Sasaki Akebi revealed her weapons. She was 265 cm tall, but her blond hair and robust physique made her look a lot like a European girl. Her reveal was the flashiest; she spun around and around like a ballet dancer. As she did, four clouds materialized, and solidified into swords, each on her arm and even leg! On her legs, special braces formed, which held the swords in place. Hana, Yuzu, and even Yukari wooed and ahhed, as she wielded her own swords.

She blushed as the Ankou and Turtle girls admired her weapons and her way of showing them.

"Dao," Miho remarked.

"Chinese..." Mako tried to guess.

"Sabers," Miho said. "Or broadswords. While jian is double-edged, the dao is single-edged like a scimitar. But Akebi's are also butterfly swords, so that they can be concealed like knives, and are used for blocking attacks as well."

"Nishizumi-dono!" Yukari squealed. "You sure know your weapons!"

"I had to learn about weapons," Miho said, giggling. "I am Nishizumi, you know."

"So," Anzu said, getting up. "Now that we all have met each other, Duck Team. What are you up to next?"

"Us?" asked Akebi, after she caused her weapons to disappear.

"We were actually training," Shinobu replied. "While captain was hunting out, taking turns."

"From what?" Mako asked.

"Training regime," Noriko replied, causing Miho to blink and gaze a little.

"Oh no..." her friends moaned.

"How about an idea?" Miho asked, her face brightening up. "Now that we have the Duck Team back..."

"Uh oh," Mako groaned. "Get ready..."

* * *

 **The next day...**

 **(Groan)**

 **7:00 AM; October 10, 20XX**

"Are they alright?"

Noriko asked, as her whole team and Miho were running, circling an area of the savanna. Some animals looked up, but grunted and left the girls alone, since the girls were running in laps; even some of the shy ones got used to them. The five girls were not just running; they were running while holding stone dumbbells and backpacks full of rock behind their backs.

"They are tired," Miho replied. "They said about 'demonic training.' Something about whether this was even humanly possible."

"Why are they tired again?" Noriko asked, as the girls kept their run. They kept eyeing the animals watching them. Some looked like antelopes and gazelles, while others looked quite bizarre.

"Should we kill them?" asked Shinobu. "Some of the predators are staring at us."

Miho and Noriko both looked. Two predators were staring at them. One looked like a monstrous pig, but with a head the size of a hippo's jaw. The other clearly was a hyena, but at least twice as large, and with a smaller face that vaguely looked like that of a bulldog.

"Let's not," Miho replied, as she and others continued. "It's early in the morning."

"What's wrong with exercising early in the morning?" asked Taeko.

Miho giggled, realizing that all of the Duck Team girls did NOT realize that yesterday, all of the teammates were subject to the Duck Team's own brand of training regime.

* * *

 _"On your marks! Get ready...Go!"_

 _"Are you serious?!"_

 _"No!"_

 _"Ugh..."_

 _"This is bad..."_

 _"Nope-nope-nope! I am not-waugh!"_

 _"Miho-san! You're doing great! In fact, this is great!"_

 _(Ten minutes later...)_

 _"Miho...san...I take...that back..."_

* * *

"Well," Miho said. "You girls definitely exercised a lot."

"We have to," Noriko declared. "We are the defunct volleyball team. Guts!"

"Guts!" her teammates replied.

"Hehe," Miho said. "You girls definitely took your training seriously, pushing your bodies to see how strong you all can get."

"Aren't we all **Chosen**?" asked Akebi, as she flinched at the sight of a baboon. It rose on its feet, and was definitely as tall as a human. Tilting its head, it started to follow behind the girls.

"Ignore it," Miho replied, looking back. "It's just following us."

"You sure know the animals well," Noriko remarked, looking back. The strange animal grunted, following them at a pace. As the girls continued, they sighted three massive herds, lazily grazing and browsing the plants.

"Maintain your focus," Miho declared, dropping some of her stones. "Girls, let's drop our stones."

The others nodded, immediately knowing what Miho had in mind.

"Guts!" Noriko roared, as all four Duck girls dropped their stones and lunged at the herds. Anticipating this, Miho then took out a particularly large stone from her backpack, then threw it like a baseball. It flew through the air, past the running girls, and struck a particularly huge antelope, which Miho recalled was the largest antelope in Africa.

"An eland," Miho remarked. "Mako told me before."

Struck, the antelope blinked, then fell down, its mouth still munching on some grass. The stone struck it right on the right side of its lower jaw. Meanwhile, the Duck girls were chasing after the other herds, frantically trying to capture them.

"Spike!" Noriko roared, as she caught two gazelles right in the necks, stumbling down.

"Serve!" Taeko cried out, summoning her qiang and throwing it like a javelin. It struck a sizable antelope through its heart, causing it to stumble down.

"Get over here!" Shinobu roared, as she swung her swords, then to Miho's surprise, threw them attached to some links. They struck a large antelope, before pulling it towards her.

Akebi summoned her own swords, then spun around, becoming a killer wheel as she mowed down a sizable number of antelopes and gazelles before stopping.

"Girls..." Miho moaned, but giggled as she lifted up the dead eland on her shoulders. "Hmm, this animal has plenty of fat. Good!"

After collecting their quarry, the girls continued their jog, now using animals instead of stone as weight. Miho carried the eland, which appeared to be at least twice as large Miho herself. However, she carried it without much effort. The other girls were carrying loads of antelopes and gazelles, wrapped with ropes to keep them in place.

"So," Miho said. "How was it like to be Chosen?"

That was enough for the girls to talk. As they talked, Miho learned that the girls really pushed the boundaries of what they could do; they even attempted to lift up their own tank! However, so far they were unable to; only with the combined effort of all four were they able to lift their own tank to one side. However, they were able to lift up entire sedans and SUVs individually without much trouble, even using a station wagon as a makeshift volleyball!

Miho giggled.

"You girls sure are creative," Miho noted, watching the other animals in the background. Suddenly, a snake appeared, and the girls winced.

"Hold it," Miho said, shaking. Breathing deeply, she bent and stared at the snake, still carrying the eland.

"It's a king cobra," Miho said. "Let's back off, for now."

The king cobra hissed, staring at the five girls. It then raised its head higher, and opened its hood, its yellowish belly exposed with some black markings.

"Let's make a new path," Miho whispered. "Maybe it'll leave us."

Hissing again, the cobra then slithered away. Blinking, the girls shrugged and continued to run their lap. As they finished 75% of their last lap, Noriko spoke up.

"Miho-san."

"Yes?" she asked.

"Mind if we have a duel?"

She smiled.

"Sure," Miho replied. "But after breakfast..."

* * *

 **At the temporary campsite**

 **(Groan)**

 **7:15 AM; October 10, 20XX**

"Augh..."

Mako groaned in great pain, squirming in her sleeping bad. All of the girls were exhausted, their bodies still aching despite being Chosen.

"What are they?" Saori moaned, as she struggled to keep the fires going, as she and Anzu attempted to cook their food.

"Eheheheh..." Anzu merely grunted, as her hands barely could hold the tongs and a spatula.

"Th-they really upped the difficulty level," Yuzu groaned, as she struggled to check the teams' belongings, slightly hunched. "Last time, Saori and I formed our own unofficial weight loss club with Oryou and Piyotan. We felt the brutal training of the Duck Team. But this is literally a hundred times...worse."

She moaned, as her back still hurt.

"How much did they even train?" Momo screamed, then whimpered as she sat down to message her legs. "Augh!"

"Oh boy..." Yukari groaned, trying to gather up some fruits from a nearby bush. With each picking and dropping into a bag, she kept whimpering a little.

"Yukari-san," Hana said, panting. "Please...calm...yourself...down."

Despite her nerves of steel, even Hana felt the aftermath; her whole body ached with overwhelming strain.

* * *

Indeed, yesterday, all of the girls decided to test their bodies. It was mostly a random jumble of exercises, but they were brutal. One moment the girls were running, the next moment they were lifting boulders. Suddenly, Miho had the idea of cutting down trees, and using them as makeshift fencing swords. They kept doing this non-stop for two hours, then just as the girls thought that they were done with, Miho and the Duck Team decided to up the antics, by running 100 m while carrying 1,000 lb of lumber! To make matters worse, the girls also had to help to lift up the tanks, which weighed in the tons!

* * *

"Those girls," Mako moaned in response. "Man, we thought we trained well, but the Duck...really doomed us!"

The others all nodded in agreement, even Hana, who had to lean on her naginata. Although she was on watch, Hana was more leaning than watching.

"Girls..." Hana managed to moan out a solid word. "They are...coming back."

The others barely lifted up their heads, as four figures started to appear.

"And I see..." Hana said. "Meat...they're carrying meat...meat..."

As if driven by instinct, Hana straightened up, and readied her naginata. Vines around her pole started to twitch with energy.

"We're on it," Yukari groaned, getting up and summoning her gauntlets. The others emulated, as the idea of "meat" started to give the girls energy.

"Meat..."

"Meat..."

"Flesh..."

"We're here!" Miho called out to them, as she waved at them. "Ah, Noriko-san, everybody! Let's get ready!"

"For?" asked Noriko.

"For some feasting time."

* * *

 **The temporary campsite**

 **9:00 AM; October 10, 20XX**

"YES!"

Saori cried out in relief.

"I am finally recovered!" she declared. "After a big breakfast!"

All except the Duck Team and Miho sighed in big relief. Apparently, having a huge meal helped the girls to fully recover.

"Sleep did not help us," Mako said. "But food did."

"Mako!" Saori said. "That does not...sound like you."

"Hey," she admitted, opening an ice cream pod. "It's the truth; we spent the night trying to sleep, but as soon as we woke up, the pain returned."

"Ah..." Saori admitted, as she, Anzu, and Yuzu helped to clean up. Not far away, Miho, Yukari, and the Duck Team were disposing of the bones and carcasses.

"Finally!" Momo groaned, still in slight pain. "Much better after a big meal! Never had such a big breakfast in my life!"

"You sound like a kid," Yuzu said, smiling. "Momo-chan."

"St-stop that!" she reacted hysterically. "But anyway, you five are inhuman! You still are active and unhurt?!"

Miho looked at Noriko, then all four shrugged in response. Momo shook her head in disbelief.

"Good thing you are here onboard," Anzu said, munching on her chips, although her hands were a little wobbly due to the strain from the training.

"Or we won't survive for long," Yuzu groaned, stretching her back.

"Man!" Yukari cried out. "I thought I was strong. But not that fast!"

"You did great with the weightlifting," Noriko remarked. "You and Miho both lifted up the I-Go without much trouble. I mean, our tank is lig-no, it's a medium tank."

Noriko looked at Miho, then the two laughed together.

"Man!" Noriko said, giggling. "I almost said it. Who was that Maus commander? I guess she rubbed off on me."

Miho suddenly stopped smiling, as the memory started to come back-

"Miporin!" Saori's voice snapped her out. "I need help!"

"Coming!" she answered, running back to wash her hands before helping with the cleanup of the equipment.

* * *

 **An hour later...**

Long story short, Miho and the Duck Team did most of the lifting and carrying; the others were still feeling a little pain, so the girls finally packed up, and got the tanks rolling. Both tanks and the boat started to move on.

Yuzu drove the Hetzer, with Anzu reclining on a seat attached on top of the superstructure. Mako drove the Panzer, with Miho standing on top of the turret, watching the surroundings. Shinobu drove the I-Go, with Noriko crouching on top like a lion in ambush.

The rest, except the Duck Team, were onboard the boat. Saori was making more dried sweet potatoes with the food dehydrator, while trying to make another dehydrator. Hana was rowing the boat like a gondola, using her naginata as an oar again. Yukari was using her binoculars to survey the surroundings, especially for anything that could impede the boat's path. Momo, however, was pacing back and forth like a caged tiger.

"Ugh!" she grunted. "Nothing to do!"

"Then why not help me?" Saori moaned. "You're pacing is annoying me."

Momo grunted, then helped to try and make the food dehydrator. Unlike Mako's, the new one was sleeker and cleaner-looking in design, apparently made from an old, white rice cooker.

Nearby the tanks, Akebi and Taeko leaped around, picking up fruits here and there and throwing them at the net. This time, the net was extended and strengthened with multiple textiles; it attached from the back deck to a single, giant crate.

 _Bang!_

 _Smash!_

 _Crack!_

"Serve!" Taeko roared, as she threw fruits after fruits as if she was jump serving.

"Be careful," Miho called out. "Those fruits are fragile. You can freely throw the Brazil nut pods and the cacao pods hard, but not the others."

"This is like a battle!" Akebi called out, throwing another fruit, which landed with a thud.

"Battle..." Miho blinked. "Ah! Noriko-san, we forgot to have a duel!"

"Ah!" Noriko screamed in delight, summoning her staff. "Wanna do it now?"

"W-wait!" Miho said. "On top of tanks? Hmm..."

She thought for a while, then stretched out her right hand, and wielded her summoned chainsaw.

 _Brum-brum-brum-brrr!_

Miho held out her blade like a katana, while Noriko posed with her gun staff. Miho's tank was right in front of the I-Go, and the two were staring at each other.

"Mako-san," Miho called. "Keep your tank going straight."

"Roger that," she replied.

"Shinobu-chan!" Noriko called to her driver. "Keep straight, and go straight!"

"Hai!" she replied.

"Ready?" Anzu lazily yelled, raising her hand to signal the duel.

"They're having a duel?" Saori gasped. "While on tanks?!"

"This is interesting..." Hana noted, staring at the fight.

"Fight!" Anzu yelled.

Noriko immediately lunged at Miho, which she anticipated. Miho blocked the blow with her saw, which buzzed furiously as the teeth ripped into the staff.

 _Crrrr..._

Noriko continued to spar, as the two kept blocking, striking, and blocking back and forth.

"Wow," the girls onboard the ship watched. Even Yukari turned to look at the duel. Both Akebi and Taeko stopped their gathering, and went onboard the I-Go to watch the duel on top of the Panzer.

"Are you all fighting?" Mako's voice echoed from inside of the tank, which was drowned out by the chainsaw sword's whirling noise.

After 30 minutes of sparring, the two panted on top of the tank. Taking the advantage, Noriko lunged for a final blow, only for Miho to cleave, her blade striking the staff so hard, it flew out of Noriko's hands, and disappeared in a cloud of glittering dust.

However, Miho lowered her blade, which stopped whirling and vanished, as she panted.

"That was a good fight!" she panted. "Let's call this a draw."

"A draw?!" Momo cried out. "That's a win!"

"No," Miho interjected. "I win if I can lift up my sword. But it stopped working, and I cannot lift it anymore right now."

"Me neither," Noriko admitted, slouching down on the turret. "But boy, that was one amazing spike!"

"Thanks," Miho replied, as the two gave each other a handshake.

"Boy," Yukari called out. "Now I am ready for some fights!"

Akebi and Taeko blinked, then smiled as they summoned their weapons.

"I want to fight!" Shinobu called out from inside of her tank.

"Uh oh..." the girls onboard groaned.

* * *

 **Miles down the river...**

 **10:00 AM; October 10, 20XX**

"Ow-ow-ouch!"

Momo groaned, as she and two others decided to spar on another open field. This time, Miho and Noriko volunteered as judges, and the three Duck Team girls fought against three volunteers. Momo went up against Taeko, while Yukari dueled Shinobu. Both resulted in a win for the Ducks.

"Man!" Momo groaned.

"You missed again," Yuzu teased, as she helped to heal her with her powers. "Momo-chan ."

"Stop that already!" she groaned.

"Uf..." Yukari moaned. "That was unexpected."

"Nice fight," Shinobu said, helping the girls out with the healing.

Momo tried to slam her hammer down, but once again missed. Taking the advantage, Taeko then lunged, stabbing her with her qiang spear.

"How did I miss?" Momo groaned. "I even tried to punch, but everything looked blurry."

"The red tassel," Miho explained. "On the spear is no decoration; in the past, Chinese infantry wielded it in order to blur the enemies' vision, preventing them from holding it. Taeko deliberately stabbed rapidly, so that you had little time to realize what had happened."

Momo groaned in response.

"But you fought well," Miho admitted. "Yukari-san, you did not realize how quickly Shinobu was able to morph her weapons."

"Yes," she admitted. "First, she struck me with her swords, which I blocked. However, I let my guard down a little, and she used that to change her swords into..."

"Tiger hook swords," Miho explained. "Which then allowed her to trip you with the hooks, then delivered a sucker punch, but with the blunt parts of the swords."

The last fight, however, was the most interesting.

"Were they fighting?" asked Saori. "Or dancing?"

Hana went up against Akebi. The two then spun their weapons around, as if dancing. Then, they charged at each other, their blades spinning around and around. They knocked against each other like spinning tops, as if daring to see who would stop first. This went on and on for about 30 minutes, until Miho called them out to stop.

"Girls," Miho said. "You cannot just spin all the time; adapt and change when necessary..."

Miho trailed off, as she realized that the two somehow became slightly...hypnotized. Both girls wobbled a little, forcing Miho to catch Hana, while Noriko caught Akebi.

"Well," Mako grunted, as the girls started to move again. "That was...weird."

"Wait!" Anzu said. "Let's do a tank battle!"

"Eh?!"

* * *

A few minutes later, in the same battlefield, Miho faced off against Noriko, as their respective tanks faced each other.

"Get ready!" Saori called out. "Set..."

"Wonder what they will do?" asked Hana.

"Don't you remember?" asked Yukari. "That cool but weird power..."

"Fight!" Saori roared.

"Here we go!" Noriko called out, stretching out her hands to control her tank. It roared, then sped up to circle around the Panzer. Miho, however, kept the tank steady, as the I-Go circled faster and faster. Suddenly, the wing-like projections on the sides spread out, and the tank levitated a few meters off from the ground.

"How did you all find that ability?" asked Yukari.

"We were trying to push the tank faster and faster," Shinobu explained. "When captain told me to give it all, I gave it all and pushed something. Suddenly, we found the tank floating as if flying, and the rest is history."

"That's how we traveled around," Taeko chimed in. "When we first set on this island, we found that power, and simply used it to travel this land. It was hard to hunt down animals, though..."

Anzu giggled a little, as she could tell that the girls did NOT realize that their tank still made a huge noise, which alerted many animals. Of course, the sight of a medium tank that could fly a few meters off the ground would be enough to scare even elephants and other giant animals.

"It's just like the Antonov A-40 Krylya Tanka!" Yukari squealed with delight. "I remember now!"

"Antonov A-40?" asked Saori.

"An attempt by the Soviet Union," Yukari explained. "To land tanks by gliding them into the battlefields. Instead of gliders dropping tanks, the Soviets attempted to actually land tanks with wings attached to them! Although the experiment did not go well, unlike them..."

The girls watched, as the I-Go flew a few meters, and started to bombard the Panzer with its shells. Each shot, however, missed by flying over the tank.

"Noriko-san!" Miho called out. "Your tank is flying too high! The elevation is causing your tank to miss!"

"Oh, right!" Noriko responded. "Guts!"

Her tank suddenly took a small nosedive, and dropped unto its tracks to fire a single shot. The Panzer backed away just in time, and the shell missed again, as the I-Go started to fly upwards again. Then, it plunged down again, attempting another shot. As it did so, Miho noticed a small yellow light; it flashed every time it attempted to land on its tracks. Keeping this in mind, Miho then moved her tank, so that it was situated right in front of the I-Go, as it was diving once again.

"Get ready!" Noriko called out, as she mentally commanded the tank to move in for a kill shot.

However, Miho already anticipated it.

Just as the I-Go was about to dive right towards the Panzer, the yellow light shone.

"Ute," Miho commanded.

BOOM!

The Panzer fired, and its shell struck the flying I-Go right into its front. The I-Go then slammed into the dirt, just feet away from the Panzer, digging into the thick layer of muck before a white flag popped out.

"Oh come on!" Momo groaned. "That was too easy..."

Miho shrugged.

"Noriko-san," Miho explained. "Whenever you dive your I-Go, you have to realize that you were attempting to strafe."

"Strafe?" Noriko asked.

"Strafing is when an aircraft flies directly towards you," Miho explained. "Despite it moving, it appears to not move from your perspective, since the aircraft is focused on you. This makes the aircraft a very easy target for ground-based, anti-aircraft guns to shoot it down. Plus, your tank flashes a yellow light every time it takes a nosedive. I took advantage of both your strafing attempt and its lighting."

"Ah," Noriko realized, scratching her back in embarrassment.

"Let me help you to remove that light," Miho said, as she tapped at the light. "Let's see..."

"Wow," Noriko said, admiring her as she removed the light from the I-Go. "You are definitely the commander, for good reason."

"Hehe," Miho admitted, smiling. "This light is useless, so why is it there...?"

Suddenly, the Hetzer groaned, then revved its engine. It started to move towards a small mountain with a ravine.

"Hey!" Saori yelled. "What's going on?"

"Ah," Anzu replied. "It appears that our tanks can track down missing pieces."

"Missing?" the Ankou and Duck girls asked.

Anzu pointed, and the girls looked. Behind the Hetzer, a single metal plate was missing, so that a gaping hole remained.

"Wait a minute," Miho objected. "Doesn't our powers restore the tanks?"

"Technically, yes," Anzu answered. "However, while repairing it with magic, we used...the wrong piece."

"And that missing hole," Yukari inferred. "Is due to using the wrong piece?"

Anzu and Yuzu both stared, then looked at Momo, who looked away.

"Ah..." Miho giggled, as she followed the Hetzer. "It's alright. Let's find the missing piece. Anzu and Noriko, come follow me."

Nodding, the two followed while the others fixed their tanks and readied to move again...

* * *

 **Inside a ravine**

 **11:00 AM; October 10, 20XX**

The Hetzer went through the ravine, barely wide enough for it to pass. Miho, Anzu, and Noriko all followed, their weapons raised. After a while, the Hetzer suddenly stopped. Miho then climbed to the left side of the ravine, peeking through.

A lone, buff piece of metal was on top of a flat area in front of the Hetzer.

"Do you see it?" Noriko asked.

"Yes," Miho replied. "But I feel that-Noriko-san!"

Noriko immediately jumped up, then lunged for the metal plate.

"Finally!" she began to speak. "The final missing-waugh!"

A net suddenly appeared, enveloping the tomboy and causing her to dangle and drop her staff.

"Oops," she admitted.

"Noriko-san!" Miho and Anzu both reacted, raising their weapons to try and cut the net.

Suddenly, bullets and arrows rained down, forcing the two to dodge back. A few grenades bounced around, causing the girls to dodge again, as small explosions shook the place, causing some pebbles and rocks to fall down.

"Like the Battle of Little Bighorn!" a voice roared from the top of the ravine.

"It's the Attack on Pearl Harbor!" another voice boomed.

"No! That's too controversial!" yet another voice echoed. "The Six Day War is better!"

"That's right!" four voices said together.

"Reference to military battles?" Miho noted, blinking. "Wait a minute-girls! We're here!"

Her voice echoed through the ravine, and there was silence.

"It's me!" Miho called out. "Nishizumi Miho!"

Four silhouettes finally appeared from above the cliffs, staring down.

"Mi-Miho-san?!"

"Hippo Team!"

* * *

 **There you go. That's right!**

 **It's going to be a bumpy ride, I guess...Hehe!**


	6. Chapter 6: Hippo Ripple

**Greetings from SeekerMeeker...again.**

 **I have this habit of saying the above phrase; oh well.**

 **Let's just get to the chapter.**

* * *

 **Girls Wild Rise**

 **Chapter 6: Hippo Ripple**

 **Nearby the river next to the ravine**

 **2:00 PM; October 10, 20XX**

"What's taking them so long?!"

Momo shouted out in frustration, as they came to a slow stop. The last time they saw their team leaders and the Hetzer, the four were heading towards a ravine inside a small mountain. Despite the mountain's small size, the ravines' cliffs were quite large and foreboding, so that a few of the girls expressed concern.

"I hope that captain and Miho-senpai are fine," Akebi whimpered.

"Are they?" Yuzu asked, worried like the others.

"They will be alright," Hana said firmly. "I mean, we have survived this far. They should be alive, even now."

"You have such nerves of steel," Yukari remarked with awe.

"Hey," Mako mumbled. "I see someone coming."

They all looked. They saw the vague but familiar silhouettes of people and tanks-

"Are you serious?!" Yukari gasped.

"No way!" Saori squealed with delight.

"They are back," Hana began. "And they are-"

BAM-BOOOM!

A strange noise erupted from one of the tanks, and a figure launched out into the air.

"A human cannonball?!" Saori cried out in disbelief.

"Eh?" Mako blinked, puzzled.

They all looked up. From the ground, something apparently shot a silhouette up into the air, as it flew towards the girls.

"Is that..." Shinobu trailed off, as she and others saw the descending figure more clearly.

"Miporin?!" Saori gawked.

Miho dived down towards the river, in front of the boat. Descending faster and faster, Miho braced for impact, stretching out her limbs like a parachute. At the last few seconds before impact, she immediately summoned her blade, and crashed into the river with a bang.

PONG!

The boat wobbled, as the shockwaves caused the barge to bobble. The huge waves struck the boat, drenching the girls onboard wet. Fortunately, Yukari and Mako both foresaw what was going to happen, and covered the vulnerable equipment with a waterproof blanket just in time.

"Augh!" Momo groaned. "What was that?!"

"Miporin!" Saori shouted, as Miho stood, standing on her chainsaw like a floating log. "What were you thinking?!"

Miho stood up, firm and strong. Then, her face regained her softness.

"Oh, sorry friends!" she replied, smiling nervously. "I was testing out a new power that our tanks can use."

"Human cannonball?" asked Yukari. "Our tanks can be used to launch humans?"

Miho nodded, causing the girls to flip out.

"Are you kidding me?!" many girls screamed in shock.

"That was...unorthodox," Hana replied with hesitation.

"That was crazy!" Yuzu gasped.

"But awesome!" Shinobu, Taeko, and Akebi all cried out in unison.

"But who told you that?" Saori asked.

Miho smiled.

"We found them," Miho said, as two tanks appeared, both without turrets, The new tank had a lower profile, with flags flying from its sides.

"They?!" Saori gasped.

"So flashy still," Momo groaned. "Aren't they..."

* * *

 **An hour later...**

"How many parties are we having?!"

Saori gasped, as she worked frantically to cook the foods, with help from Anzu, Yuzu, and Yukari. Now, over 20 grills were working, as the girls welcomed another team back.

"Been so long," said Miho, sitting down with the four new girls. "But...what happened to your clothing?"

The four newest girls all sat together, eating some fruits while waiting to be fed. The first girl wore an entire set of a blackish uniform, except a little too tight for her; Miho noticed her fidgeting around, trying to get the shirt to fit, which exposed her midriff. Even her field jacket was only a little larger than her body; other than the jacket, the only thing that fit her comfortably...was her peaked hat, complete with goggles on top. However, the whole clothing was slightly tattered, as if seen through much combat.

"Be fire with fire," the girl replied, smiling. "As Shakespeare said; so, we became one with nature."

"Except with a hat on," Miho noted. "Erwin-san."

"Miho-san," she replied, laughing. "You have a keen eye."

"She does indeed," another girl spoke. "Like a true Roman centurion."

Miho looked at the girl who spoke, who sat right next to Erwin. Caesar looked like a tall girl with short hair; now that Miho thought, many of the girls had short hair. Instead of the school uniform, she was apparently wearing a Roman centurion costume, which Miho found amusing. However, on closer inspection, Miho realized that it had actual metals.

"Caesar-san," Miho said.

"Yes?" she replied.

"Did you change the costume into an actual suit of armor?" she asked, puzzled.

"You nailed it," Caesar answered, smiling. "I found this costume set back in California. A thrift shop owner gave us shelter, and in return we helped him and his family to clean up the place. In return, they let us get whatever we wanted."

"And you found that costume," Miho concluded with a sweat on her head.

"That's right!" Caesar replied. "Later, I replaced the fake armor parts with real metals, and now it feels like a real Roman armor!"

"Not easy to find some specific Sengoku attire in California," mumbled the next girl, who had long, reddish-brown hair with a special headband. The band had six circles, similar to a symbol of the Sanada clan. Like the other two, she wore a unique type of costume, that of a samurai, but with less armor to give her arms more movement.

"I don't think many people in America," said Miho, giggling nervously. "Even know what you're talking about, Saemonza-san.

She just shrugged.

"Same here," the shortest of the four girls chimed in. She was the only one of the four to have a rather leaning posture, as if hunched. She still bore her usual, messy hairdo, with her red eyeglasses on and wearing a large jacket (haori) that resembled a cape. She was the only Hippo girl to wear her school uniform, which had seen better days.

"Oryou-san," Miho said. "Of course, not many people even know the Bakumatsu period. I mean, you did not find any, right?"

"Some kimono stuff," she replied. "Which I know is useless for survival in the wild."

"So," Erwin said, getting up to stretch. "What have you all been up to?"

"We celebrate, we go," replied Yukari. "And we fight."

"Fight?" the Hippo girls asked.

"Duel," Miho said.

Suddenly, their eyes all flashed.

"Uh oh," Saori moaned, as she and a few others finished the cleanup. "Here we go again..."

"Guts!" the Duck girls all shouted, as they found the dueling thrilling. "What weapons do you have?"

All four members of the Hippo Team smirked, then revealed their weapons.

"Wa-wait!" Miho began. "You don't have to...oh."

* * *

As the clouds of dust materialized, the other girls noticed that their weapons were different. Erwin clocked her shotgun, while Caesar raised her oversized crossbow. Saemonza strung her giant bow, while Oryou took out...a massive handgun.

"Hmm," Miho contemplated over their weapons. "All four of you have ranged weapons, while the Duck Team and my team wield melee weapons. The Turtle Team is the only one with a truly magic user, Yuzu."

"Doesn't Anzu-san use her daggers like missiles?" asked Yukari.

"I sure do," she replied. "But I am not sure against the..."

They all looked at the Hippo Team again.

"This is no ordinary shotgun," Erwin replied, clocking it again.

Miho's eyes opened wide, as she and others gasped at it. It looked just like a shotgun with a very long barrel, except that it had not two, but FOUR barrels. Smirking as usual (Miho noted that all four liked to smile a lot), Erwin then turned around, pointing it at a herd of antelopes.

 _Boom-boom-boom-boom!_

Four shots rang out in rapid succession, as the entire herd fled in terror. One of them stood still, before walking away and then collapsing on its right side.

"At least I am not the only one to miss," Momo mumbled.

"She hit one," Yuzu said, overhearing her. "Momo-chan."

"Seriously?!" Momo screamed, causing the others to look at her, confused. "Don't point that out!"

"And that's one huge crossbow," Mako remarked.

"No-no," Caesar said, cocking it. "It's a cheiroballista."

"Come again?" she asked.

"A type of Roman crossbow," Caesar answered.

"I didn't know that even ancient Romans used crossbows," Yukari pointed out.

"Except this one," Caesar said, showing it more fully. "Is more of a siege engine, but portable."

Miho approached it and inspected it.

"It _is_ a crossbow," she confirmed. "Normally too big for a normal human. Of course, we are Chosen, after all."

"But yours!" Yukari said. "Is a yumi bow!"

Saemonza grinned, stringing the asymmetrical, red bow. It was longer than she was tall, so it was colossal.

"And yours..." Miho trailed off, looking at Oryou.

"It's a grenade launcher," she said.

"A grenade launcher?!" the others gasped.

"It's a huge handgun!" Yukari noted.

"But cute," Hana remarked.

"What about yours?" asked Caesar. "It's fair that you all show yours."

Nodding, the others summoned their weapons.

"Ah," Erwin noted. "All except Yuzu have melee weapons."

"I can throw my daggers," Anzu said, flipping them like a deck of cards. Multiple daggers appeared, causing the Hippo girls to ooh and ahh in response.

"So," Saemonza noted. "We are really the only girls to have actual ranged weapons, really."

"We will still have a duel," Miho said, revving up her sword. "But to be fair, it's not like we..."

She trailed off thinking.

 _Hmm_ , she thought. _Saori and Mako were able to make the food dehydrators, while Yukari was able to morph her gloves into a motor engine. Is it..._

She breathed.

"Let's start the duel."

* * *

 **Up the river again...**

 **4:00 PM; October 10, 20XX**

"Say," said Mako. "We haven't named the river yet."

"Of all the things to say!" Saori screamed. "You are concerned with that trivial matter when we have-"

BOOM-BOOM-BANG-BANG!

"Incoming!" Yukari screamed, as a volley of missiles reigned down from the sky, bombarding the entire Anglerfish Team.

The duel was a team battle, between the Anglerfish Team and the Hippo Team. However, although it was 5-to-4, the Hippo Team was giving the Anglerfish a run for the money. Unlike the Anglerfish, all four Hippo girls easily kept them at a distance. Erwin fired rounds after rounds, the barrels of her shotgun blasting like four cannons in a row. Caesar blasted with her cheiroballista, which fired multiple giant arrows, easily piercing through the mounds of earth. The Anglerfish girls had to dodge again and again, as their temporary shields were blasted into bits.

"They're forcing us out!" Saori screamed, ducking her head to avoid a shotgun shell. "Like rats!"

"Watch out for Saemonza!" Miho shouted out, as a single arrow flew at her. She grabbed it, and threw it down.

"They are not letting us plan and mobilize!" Yukari shouted out, as the shots continued to fire. "Oh boy! This feels like tank warfare!"

"Gun warfare!" Saori groaned, as she dodged more shots.

As the girls kept dodging, ducking into mounds, rocks, and even trees, Miho quickly looked at their team.

Erwin and Caesar were mostly blasting the girls, more interested in flushing them out rather than actually attacking them. Saemonza was the one who was trying to shoot them. Although the Chosen Ones are resistant to bullet fire, Miho put up a rule that no one will shoot right in the head. They can shoot at the girls' chests or limbs; in return, both sides can only peek with their heads for up to three seconds. Anymore, and they are disqualified.

"I really want to observe!" Yukari moaned, as she had to quickly peek her head out, then retract back in order to both avoid getting disqualified, and to avoid the bombardment.

"Girls!" Miho whispered audibly. "Back there!"

The girls immediately dashed to an obsidian-colored boulder. The bombardement continued, but the boulder mysteriously held on.

"OK," Miho said. "We have to plan now."

"What can we do?" Saori wailed, clawing at her hair. "Miporin?!"

"This is a bad start," Hana remarked, as calm as ever.

"But so cool!" Yukari squealed. "They get to shoot from a distance!"

"But we can't!" Saori replied. "Even our magical attacks take time to charge, and the Hippo girls are just shooting non-stop!"

"Do they have unlimited ammo?" Mako asked.

Miho peeked. In only three seconds, Miho saw enough and backed in to talk.

"Yes," Miho replied. "All of them are using magic to conjure up more bullets and arrows."

"Yay," Saori said with some sarcasm. "Good thing, for them. But bad for us!"

"What can we do?" began Yukari. "We have to charge up and...Nishi...zumi..."

Miho held out her chainsaw, as it slowly grinded to a stop. Then, it started to make weird, mechanical noises, as dust flew about. The others gawked, eyes wide open, as Miho concentrated.

"How did you?" Yukari stammered.

"Well," Miho admitted. "If Yukari is able to turn her gloves into motors, and we can use our weapons like tools to move things around, why not?"

"I...I have not thought that," Hana said. "This is the first time..."

* * *

"It's like the Battle of Stalingrad," said Erwin with a smirk, cocking her shotgun and firing. The obsidian-colored boulder was starting to crack.

"Or the Battle of Cannae," Caesar suggested, aiming her cheiroballista and firing. The massive arrow made a large crack in the boulder.

"Well," began Saemonza. "It's like the-WAUGH!"

A golden blast of energy shot right over the girls' heads, causing all four to flinch.

"What the?!" all four shrieked.

The blast struck a tree right behind them, forcing them to run for cover. They then surveyed the front, from the safety of their hideouts, and beheld her.

Miho was right on the left side of the boulder, aiming at them.

A golden cannon, as long as she was tall, glared down at the four, its giant barrel pulsing with energy. Miho held it out, her face expressing much surprise, just like her teammates.

"Wow," she admitted, looking at her newly-morphed weapon.

"It's a cannon!" Yukari squealed, caressing the massive gun. "But futuristic-looking and golden!"

"It's not really," Miho noted.

"Huh?" she asked.

"It's a railgun," Miho said, pointing at what looked like special chargers attached to the back of the cannon. "A real cannon uses a propellant to launch a shell. Mine, however, uses electromagnetic force from these attached devices to launch mine."

"Which is why the blast was incredible," Mako said in a whisper, her face shivering with fear. "It was...scary."

The other girls emulated their leader's example. Saori spun her fans, and they transformed into dual handguns. Hana turned her naginata into a sniper rifle, while Yukari pounded her fists together, and a cannon came out of each gauntlet's back. Mako turned her own weapons into one combat drone, which flew controlled by her remote control.

"Yay!" Saori squealed, flicking them like a cowboy.

"So long," Hana moaned, caressing her rifle's long barrel. The others looked at her funny.

"My cannons are ready!" Yukari blurted out, grinning as she aimed her hand cannons.

Mako, however, silently controlled the drone, causing it to beeline for the four Hippo girls.

"Fire!" Caesar screamed, as she and others started to shoot.

Grinning, Mako turned the remote, causing her drone to dodge the bullets and arrows. The distraction allowed her teammates to aim their own weapons back.

"Oh no," Erwin gasped, before she and all of Hippo dodged out of the way, as a wave of bombardement struck them. They hid behind a strangely shaped boulder, which looked as if somebody was trying to carve it smooth. Its egg-shaped figure, however, deflected blows after blows with ease.

"This feels like the trench warfare!" Erwin groaned, as blast after blast struck.

"Or the Battle of Aachen," Caesar noted.

"Or the bombing of Naga-" began Saemonza.

"Not that!" the others shushed her.

"Hmm..." Saemonza frowned. "How about the Battle of Peleliu?"

"Well," Oryou remarked, preparing her grenade-launching handgun. "How about this: war is hell?"

"That's right!" the others declared, preparing their weapons and getting out. They re-commenced their own bombardment. The Turtle and the Duck Teams stared, as it was hard to know who was even _winning_.

"Is this a battle?" asked Yuzu, feeling a sweat down her neck. "Or is it warfare?"

Both sides continued to bombard each other, as magical blasts, bullets, and arrows of all kinds slammed into each other.

"Both," Anzu said, casually chewing on her dried sweet potato piece.

"Guts!" the Duck Team cheered. "Nishizumi-dono! Give them some butt!"

"Nishizumi-dono! Say something cool, too!" Yukari said, as she barely heard the cheer from the distance.

"Uh?!" she gasped in response, as she fired another blast. It obliterated a hill, as Saemonza tried to shoot while on the move.

"Saemonza-san!" she shouted. "Shoot while standing! You need to focus!"

"Giving the enemy advice?!" Saori moaned, as she rained down bullets of red-hot energy.

"She's our Miho, of course," Hana remarked calmly, as she aimed her rifle. Its very long barrel pointed out Saemonza, who then stopped to shoot back.

"Ute!" Miho called out.

 _Boom! Crack!_

Miho's sharp eyes noticed that Saemonza and Hana both fired their missiles at the same. Bullet and arrow converged at a point. She saw as the bullet sliced through the arrow with ease. She blinked, as the bullet suddenly got lodged between the vanes, and the two missiles fell to the ground.

"Huh," Miho noted. "I did not expect that..."

"Was the arrow's back made of metal?" asked Erwin.

"Eh..." Saemonza trailed off, summoning another arrow. The whole shaft was made of what looked like wood, but reddish with a...metallic gleam.

"Maybe," she replied, aiming it again. "Maybe not."

 _BOOM! CRACK! BANG! WHAM! SLAM! BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!_

The bombardment continued, with no side clearly winning. It was dragging on for about 30 minutes.

"OK..." Anzu muttered, starting to yawn.

"Should we call this a draw?" asked Yuzu.

"Technically," Momo noted. "It should have been an easy victory for the Anglerfish Team, with Mako having a combat drone. However, the drone apparently has a rather short range, and every time it gets close for a kill shot, Oryou easily notices it and keeps it at bay with her grenades. Miho is...what is she doing?"

The Turtle and the Duck teams stared, as they noticed Miho tempering with something on her cannon.

 _Brrr..._

A chainsaw-like sound echoed dimly, audible for her team, but not for the others.

"Is she charging up?" asked Noriko.

"For a kill shot?" asked Taeko.

"Or a spike?" inferred Shinobu.

"Maybe she's spinning the barrel!" blurted out Akebi.

The others looked at her, stunned.

"What do you mean..." Momo trailed off, as Miho finally revealed her railgun more openly.

She WAS spinning the railgun cannon's barrel, as if it was a wheel on a toy car. Then, the cannon stopped, and it expanded a little, so that it looked like a howitzer cannon, rather than a portable cannon. It looked a little big for a girl her size, but she wielded it without a problem. She aimed...

 _Brr...brrr...brrr-WAAAAUUUGGGHHHH!_

An eerie, childlike scream rang out from the cannon, as it started to charge up. Then, the sound disappeared, only for the cannon to glow brighter and brighter.

"What did she do?!" roared Momo. Mako's combat drone flew towards the group, hovering as a loudspeaker blared from its blackish silhouette.

"Miho-san did...something," Mako's voice spoke. "Apparently, she was trying to see what it could do, and..."

Her voice stopped, as Miho's cannon started to radiate an enormous light.

"Fire at will!" Caesar screamed, as she and Erwin tried to bombard Miho. Saori shot at the bullets and arrows, annihilating some of them with her handguns. Hana and Yukari both changed their weapons back into melee forms, and blocked most of them. Despite a few missiles hitting her, Miho did not budge.

"Ute," she muttered one word.

BOOOOOOOOMMMM!

* * *

 **Up the river...**

 **6:00 PM; October 10, 20XX**

"Wow!" Yukari squealed. "Nishizumi-dono! You knocked all four out, while creating an enormous crater with your single blast of awesome energy!"

"Panzer high," Miho said, causing her to deflate. "But thanks; I hope that they are alright..."

The girls were now moving up the river, which they still did not know the name to.

"Should we name it?" asked Saori. "Now that we think about it," we have not even named what we're looking."

"We were concerned with survival," Momo blurted out. "It's not like we need to memorize everything."

Saori pouted, but understood, as she tended to the wounds of the four Hippo girls.

All four lied down on a single mattress, as they were moaning from the enormous impact. Miho's cannon apparently fired some kind of a "massive, concentrated orb of otherworldly energy" (according to Mako), which also seemed to suck the Hippo girls together into a single vortex. Then, the blast exploded, and the result was a gigantic crater, with all four knocked out. Afterwards, the remaining girls brought the Hippo Team onboard the ship, while Mako, Yuzu, and Shinobu drove the Panzer, the Hetzer, and the I-Go respectively. Hana herself drove the StuG, trailing behind.

"This tank," Hana groaned. "Does not...feel like a tank."

"It's a tank destroyer," Yukari explained. "More like an assault gun than a tank."

"Oh..." Erwin moaned. "That was...like the Operation Overlord."

"Or the Battle of Cannae," Caesar groaned.

"Please stay down," Saori admonished them. "And stop invoking history even while on bed, for crying out loud."

"Samurais shall remain firm," said Saemonza, raising her hand as if wielding a bow.

"Or like the Americans coming into Japan," Oryou grunted, causing Saori to roll her eyes.

"Isn't it getting late?" Mako suddenly pointed out, as the sun started to dip. "Another day..."

"Better get to sleep!" Saori cried out.

"Wait," Miho said. "We need to find a cave, one big enough for four teams to use."

"And it should be nearby our boat," Yukari chimed in.

"And definitely nearby a spring and a herd of animals and some fruit trees," Momo noted.

Miho said nothing, but breathed in, and closed her eyes. She did something with her hands, holding them together before opening her eyes again.

"Miporin," Saori began. "What are you..."

Only 100 m away, they saw it. A single cave right next to the river. It was a wish come true.

"Well," Miho said, giggling. "Let's settle down."

* * *

 **Up the river...**

 **7:00 PM; October 10, 20XX**

"Ah," Mako said, eating another ice cream bean pod, scraping out its creamy, white pulp. "What a day."

Miho watched from the top of a high boulder, surveying her surroundings. Once again, the girls now set up camp; this time, however, it was more complete. With the help of the Hippo Team's more "elaborate" scheming, the girls renovated the interior of the cave, cleaning it up and turning it into a legitimate place to live in, complete with huge curtain-like clothes that covered the entrance. The girls started to cut up some wood from the local trees, with Miho using her sword to craft the tree trunks into wooden poles. The girls then drilled some holes into the cave, and made some bunk beds out of the wood and the cave interior.

"Now!" Yukari squealed. "I feel like a caveman!"

"Cavewoman," Saori corrected her. "And your survival kit."

"My pots!" Yukari screamed, frantic to blow and keep a few from burning over.

Saori sighed, but continued with looking after the numerous grills and portable stoves. 36 of them were burning, as pans, pots, and all kinds of cookware simultaneously fried, grilled, and boiled all kinds of food. Three campfires were also burning bright as bonfires, with sticks of skewered meat and entire carcasses of animals they hunted from the hunt.

"Hmm," Mako muttered, inspecting each animal.

"Mako-san," Miho said. "What animals are these?"

" **Giant elands** ," Mako said, pointing to the colossal antelopes. "Dama gazelles, giant sable antelopes, and all kinds of gazelles and antelopes."

"And these?" Miho asked.

The largest of the three bonfires had colossal halves of massive bovines, with skewers of hunks burning in the fire.

"Gaurs and saolas," Mako noted. "Endangered bovines that live in forests."

"No wonder!" Noriko grunted, as she and her teammates started to cut the hunks into strips. Miho found it humorous, as everybody was using weapons as tools...

Saori herself fanned the fires, keeping them alive with her fans. Hana grew spikes that kept the meat in place, replacing them periodically. Yukari used her gauntlets to handle hot food, as they protected her from the intense heat. Mako used her drone, lazily eating as the machine carefully hovered over one bonfire, boiling a pot full of food.

Noriko was cooking her own food, using her gun staff as a makeshift skewer of at least five steaks. Taeko did the same with her qiang spear, while Shinobu and Akebi used their swords to cut pieces of meat from the cooking carcasses.

Erwin, Caesar, Saemonza, and Oryou all came back with bags and piles of dead animals, mostly bovines and turkeys, as they brandished their ranged weapons. Anzu was lying on top of the boat, watching over it while munching on dried sweet potatoes, which she cut with her own daggers. Momo was pacing back and forth, checking over the whole camp, while using her hammer as a megaphone to blare orders. Yuzu used her staff's electric power to charge up batteries and other electrical equipment; in fact, Miho herself was fixing a radio, trying to gain some transmissions.

"Anything?" asked Saori.

"Nothing," Miho said curtly.

"Boring!" Saemonza groaned, collapsing as she fixed her samurai-like suit. "All we've done is hunting! But now that we know how to hunt, it's just shoot and carry, shoot and carry, and just eat."

"Well," Caesar said, biting into a hunk of ribeye from the gaur. "What do you expect?"

"At least it's better than eating MRE," Yukari remarked, causing ALL four Hippo girls to nod in silent admittance. The others reciprocated; at least fresh, cooked meat was better than...yeah.

"So," Miho said, as the others watched her. She was standing on the boulder again, so that the others gave her full attention.

"Girls," she said. " **We are now still alive and well. I am thankful to whomever, kami or God, that we are finally here. We may not know what we will face, trials or tribulation, but we advance forward. In order to prepare for that, let us rest as much as possible. That way, we can finally be ready for anything.** "

Everybody roared in approval, as Miho blushed. She was finally starting to improve her "rousing speech" skill.

"Oh yeah!" Anzu said, as she got up and approached her. "Let's have a tank battle with the StuG!"

"Ah!" the others realized. "Let's do it now!"

"No-no," Miho sternly said. "Let's rest for now, and Hippo Team, you brought too many game."

The four girls just shrugged.

"Extra is better than never," said Erwin, as she and others started to butcher up. "And make some jerky out of leftovers."

"Well then," Miho said, getting down. "Let's all eat and enjoy, then!"

"HOORAY!" the crowd cheered.

Suddenly, Mako got up, remote in hand. Her drone started to buzz with intensity.

"I saw someone," she said. "Hiding behind a bush there."

Immediately, all of them stopped what they were doing, and brandished their weapons. Saori, Hana, and all four Hippo girls raised their ranged weapons, aiming in the direction where Mako noticed. Giving silent orders, Miho motioned for Anzu and Noriko to come with her.

They slowly approached the bush, then crept behind it.

Miho sniffed.

"Can you smell?" asked Anzu.

"Sort of," she admitted. "Not like a dog, but this smell...it's familiar."

Soon, however, the trio noticed a figure.

"Ouch!" a familiar voice suddenly echoed. "Man, I thought I heard Miho-senpai's voice here."

"No way!" another voice squealed, as another silhouette appeared. "We've been scared already!"

"Hush!" the first voice whispered, apparently cupping the other's mouth.

"A-Azusa-chan?!" Miho gasped.

Silence. Then...

"Mi-Miho-senpai?" the two girls responded, then cried out.

"WE'RE HERE!"

* * *

 **Finally, the last of five is coming.**

 **Enjoy, because after this, the story should take off more.**


	7. Chapter 7: Rabbit Punch

**Greetings from SeekerMeeker.**

 **Here we go, the last team for a while!**

* * *

 **Girls Wild Rise**

 **Chapter 7: Rabbit Punch**

 **Unnamed cave nearby the river**

 **6:00 AM; October 11, 20XX**

Miho watched the sun rise over the river, as a young girl slept by her side.

"Oh..." the girl moaned, as she slowly got up and yawned. "Oh... _ohayo gozaimasu_."

"Good morning," Miho translated, smiling as she patted her. "Finally got some good sleep?"

"Yes..." the youth groaned. "Finally, after looking after my team for a few days, keeping them alive..."

She drowsed, as Miho put her down to sleep.

"Sleep more," Miho said, comforting. "Thank you for keeping your team alive, Azusa-chan."

Sawa Azusa was the leader of the latest group to be saved. Called "second Miho" occasionally by her own team, Azusa had some resemblance to Miho, down to her short hair and gentle but determined personality. However, she had dark brown hair, and was shorter than Miho, standing at 251 cm tall. All of her teammates were exactly 100 cm taller than when they were normal.

"Got to," she began. "Watch...oh yeah...they're safe."

Despite her youth, Azusa clearly displayed fatigue, exhausted from keeping her team alive. Although her face had no wrinkles, Miho could tell that she had strained herself a lot, as she was frowning a little more than usual.

"Sleep well," Miho said again. "You're all safe now."

A gentle snore ensued, allowing Miho to carefully stand up, leaving her to sleep. She then walked a short distance, and entered the cave, moving away the curtain.

22 well-designed wooden beds were stuck to the cave walls, lining them and evenly spaced. The girls all slept together by teams. The Anglerfish and the Duck teams were at the cave entrance, lining the right and left walls respectively. The others slept behind. Being a smallish cave, with the end only about 40 m away, six new beds lined it.

 **Six new girls.**

 **All scared but finally glad to be safe.**

Only two beds were empty, since Miho and Azusa had a short but sweet talk outside.

Smiling, Miho then carefully walked out, and breathed.

"Ah," she sighed, the fresh air of the morning savanna filling her lungs. Nearby, the boat floated serenely. Apparently, everybody, including her, forgot to have at least one person on the lookout, because everybody was busy celebrating the joyous reunion of their fifth team:

The Rabbit Team.

She decided to check the boat, but soon saw that nothing was searched. Breathing a sigh of relief, Miho looked around, and decided to take a small run.

"Hmm," she wondered, as she jogged a short lap around an area near the cave, so that she had a clear view of the cave and the boat. Fortunately, the area had few hills; despite the dense vegetation, Miho could clearly see the camp from some 100 m away. She jogged around.

"It's been a while..." she wondered. "I wonder how others are doing..."

She thought as she jogged. Panting, she could imagine the remaining teams...

 _The Mallard Team trying to maintain order, while traversing a wild world..._

 _The Anteater Team throwing and lifting logs, in order to stay fit..._

 _The Leopon Team fixing their tank as usual, while journeying through..._

"Oh," Miho recalled, stopping for a moment. "The other schools..."

 _St. Gloriana, struggling to be elegant in a barbaric world..._

 _Saunders...well, they have a lot of money._

 _Anzio. Enough said._

 _Pravda, with Katyusha getting others to do the stuff for her._

 _Kuro..._

Miho flinched, as a single tear came out.

"Onee-chan..."

* * *

 **"Rette mich."**

 ** _Save me._**

 **"Jemand kontrolliert mich!"**

 ** _Someone controls me!_**

* * *

A few German words suddenly exploded inside Miho's head, causing her to stop and pant.

She then held her heart with her right hand, while touching her head with her left.

"Onee-chan," she mumbled, a single tear falling out.

Miho took a deep, VERY deep, breath. Then, in order to distract herself, she stared at the horizon...

Animals of all shapes and sizes frolicked in the wooded savanna. Herbivores munched on vegetation peacefully, while carnivores relished a wide variety of carcasses. Omnivores rooted and searched for anything to eat. Trees swayed in the breeze, while an impending thunderstorm was looming miles away.

Miho sighed.

 **"Better get going," she said to herself, jogging back to base, unaware of something lurking behind a massive tree, its trunk hiding its silhouette...**

* * *

 **Unnamed cave nearby the river**

 **9:00 AM; October 11, 20XX**

"Oh..."

"You don't need to do anything."

"But Miho-senpai..."

"Just rest."

Azusa groaned, as she was lying down on a bed still, this time on the barge, while others did about their own business. After another heavy meal (Saori grunted about Chosen Ones all becoming "multiple Hanas"), the girls now packed up all of their belongings, reserving their most valuable ones inside of their own tanks. Now, five tanks were ready to move, as the driver of each started to rev the engine up. Multiple roars echoed, resonating throughout the landscape. A few animals raised their heads, curious.

"Man!" Saori grunted. "We finally have finished!"

"Later than usual!" Momo blurted out.

"We had to," Yuzu said. "Because of the Rabbits, Momo-hop."

"Momo-hop?!" Momo screamed, throwing a fit. "Now you nickname me?!"

The others giggled and laughed at the duo's antics, as they were cleaning up the camp further. The only team being "forced" to not help was the latest one:

The Rabbit Team was the latest team to join, and all six girls were exhausted. Apparently, their days were spent surviving quite a lot.

Miho was right next to a bed, on which Azusa lied down.

"You girls must have had it bad," Miho remarked.

"Well," Azusa began to speak, but coughed.

"Please stay down," Miho advised. "You did great with keeping them all alive."

"Not easy at all," Azusa muttered. "We're so glad to meet you all!"

Of all the teams, the Rabbit Team appeared the MOST exhausted. Although strong enough to survive in the wild, all six were clearly fatigued, lacking much of the energy of their usual antics.

"Mi-Miho-sen...pai," Azusa whispered.

"Please be silent," Miho advised her, fixing her blankets. "You clearly are the most tired of the six; you need to stay down and be silent."

Azusa suddenly shook her head. Grunting, she raised up her right hand, mustering up the last of her strength, summoning her Hand.

"Wait!" Miho began. "Hold your...energy."

A giant staff with sparkles and bright colors appeared. It looked like the kind that magical girls used on TV.

 _I remember my okaa-san not approving of such 'un-womanly' shows_ , Miho thought, giggling. _But onee-chan secretly allowed to watch, so I enjoyed seeing magical girl shows_.

Azusa's staff caught her eyes easily. It had a long, hot pink pole, with the bottom tip having a tiny, white orb. On the top of the staff rested a huge symbol: a giant, red cross with a light pink ring. Two white wings stuck out from the left and right arms of the cross, while red, white, and blue gems dotted the central cross.

"A Celtic cross staff!" Miho gasped, gazing at it. "It fits you well. But calm down please."

"Well," Azusa groaned, raising it up.

"No," Miho said sternly, holding it. "Azusa-chan, please restrain your-"

Suddenly, the staff glowed, and a popping sound echoed, as a nova of light pink energy rippled around the two. Miho suddenly felt better, and so did Azusa.

"Ah..." Azusa groaned in relief. "Much better!"

"Good thing you are," Miho said, grabbing the staff and laying it down on Azusa's body. "But save your energy; sure, we are Chosen, but we still need food and sleep."

Miho then looked up. The other five members of the Rabbit Team were much better off. Yamagou Ayumi, the tallest one, was chatting casually with Taeko and Caesar, laughing as they shared their own stories. She appeared to be the least tired, perhaps due to her mature physique. In fact, she was sitting on top of her strange Hand of God: a giant grimoire.

"That's one big book!" Taeko uttered. "Can it open?"

"No," Ayumi admitted with a sigh. "I don't know why, but this book is big enough for me to sit on its top like a chair, but it is covered in chains."

She was right. Her Hand of God, looking like a giant mahogany-colored tome, was covered in pink chains and a daisy-shaped lock, which bound the book together.

"I tried to open it," she said, lifting it up like a dumbbell. "But the lock has no keyhole, and I have no idea what this even does."

"Must be something secret!" Erwin noted, joining the conversation.

"Dunno," she replied, lifting it up and down before throwing it up into the air and catching it easily. Miho could tell that Ayumi spent a lot of time playing with her grimoire.

"So how do you fight with it?" asked Caesar.

"I just swing it around," Ayumi replied.

"Like a club?!" Caesar, Taeko, and Erwin asked in disbelief.

"What can I do?" she asked rhetorically, playing with her weapon like a toy.

Miho giggled, as she looked at the others.

Maruyama Saki was staring into space as usual. However, like the others, she was drowsing, her head going up and down. Her Hand of God was a set of two lanterns. Both looked like a hybrid of Chinese paper lanterns and European street lanterns. She was waving them, and Miho noticed what looked like colorful butterflies floating around the lanterns.

"Fairy lanterns?" Shinobu asked, as she sat down with Saki.

She nodded in reply, smiling as she swung them back and forth. The butterfly-like things fluttered around like real butterflies or even moths, floating around the lanterns. One of the magical butterflies then flew towards Miho, who then lifted up her right hand up.

It landed on her index finger, and popped into a tiny cloud of apricot-colored dust. Miho looked at her, who smiled back as she listened to Shinobu.

Miho nodded, as she noticed the other three.

"Eh-eh-eh~eh..." the brown-haired girl stuttered, trying to stay up but ending up being carried by Momo.

"For goodness sake!" Momo grunted. "Sakaguchi Karina-chan!" Please stay up-ow-ow-ouch!"

Karina suddenly summoned her Hands of God: two wands that had blunt tips, so that they looked sort of like heavy clubs or even maces.

"Giddy up~" she moaned, smacking them into Momo's head.

"Ow-ow-ouch!" Momo cried out in pain.

Miho giggled, as Momo dropped her and restrained her.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall..." a black-haired girl muttered, playing with some tent herrings on the boat, right next to Hana (who was playing with some ropes too).

However, Utsugi Yuuki was also wielding her own set: a magical, portable mirror and a feather duster. She kept dusting off the mirror, its wide, oval face shining in the sunlight. She was gazing at it.

"Does it say anything?" asked Hana dreamily.

"Nothing," she replied. "But it's fair after all."

Miho giggled at the girls' weird antics, but a small crowd gathered around the last Rabbit girl.

Like the others, Oono Aya was tired, but seven of the girls were gathered around her, watching her utilize her Hands of God.

"Can they see the future?"

"Can they see something?"

"What do they do?"

Miho shook her head, but smiled as she got up to settle the crowd, yawning.

"Girls," Miho said, keeping the crowd away from Aya. "Give Aya-chan some space. And you have interesting weapons."

"Th-thank you," Aya replied, blushing. Hers were a set of what looked like six floating crystal balls; however, one of them is in her right hand as a globe, with a hand to hold it like a scepter.

"But why is everybody curious?" asked Miho.

"She didn't tell you?!" the others gasped.

"She said it does not always work," Oryou said. "But she said that sometimes, she can gain contact with the outside world."

Suddenly, Miho tensed up, and stared at Aya straight in the eyes.

"Sorry," she replied, relaxing. "I just want to know what's going on, too."

"Let me try," Aya said, as she munched on a large, yellow banana. She concentrated, then one of the globes started to glow a pale, whitish-yellow color.

"Sometimes," Aya explained, as the orb continued to glow. "The balls change color, meaning that I have contact with something. But sometimes."

One of the floating globes suddenly changed color, becoming black with white and red stripes snaking around like rivers.

"I have contact!" Aya blurted out.

"Can you open it or something?" asked Erwin, as the crowd started to form around her.

"Unfortunately," Aya admitted. "Sometimes, it's one of those...boys, who just chat about where I am, and whether I am a zombie or something."

Everybody shivered.

"But," Aya said, as the globe continued to glow. "Sometimes, I don't know what to do."

Suddenly, Miho noticed something vibrate on her skirt.

"Your phone?" asked Miho.

Aya blinked, then took it out and opened it.

"What's this number?" Aya asked, as she clicked it. "Huh, I put it on vibration, too. No wonder I didn't notice."

"Moshi-moshi?" she asked.

"Moshi-moshi," said a stern voice. "Who is this?"

Aya shivered, but Miho gasped.

"O-okaa-san!" she suddenly yelled. The others gawked.

"Miho?!" the voice suddenly lowered to a whisper, as Aya immediately gave it to her.

"I am here!" Miho answered, holding the phone very tightly until she heard a cracking sound. Apologizing in a low whisper, Miho then loosened her grip, and snapped her fingers to repair the phone before answering.

"Miho!" Shiho's voice blared, as Miho held it at a distance, as the noise was loud. The others clearly heard the voice.

"What-how-how did you get this?!" Shiho's voice continued. "The island's strange nature disrupts all communications! The only way is to overcome the jam with magic!"

"Okaa-san!" Miho said. "Where are you? Still at the boat?"

"Worse," she growled. "They doubled the security, and now we feel like in a literal, floating prison. Things now feel less..."

She trailed off, as the others listened in.

"But how did you get the connection?" Shiho's voice blared out again. "I cannot use the tablet, because they now monitor whether we're charging up something. But they do allow us to use our cell phones."

"One of us," Miho explained. "Managed to use her power to gain a connection."

"But before you do so," Shiho's voice began to crack, as the connection started to lose. "Be careful with whom you trust! And do not - your guard down. No! Connection is -! Miho!"

"Okaa-san!" Miho called. " **I...love you, Shiho!** "

Suddenly, the connection was silent, and the girls stared.

"Is it lost?" asked Aya.

"Miho," the voice blared again. This time, it sounded...softer.

" **Tha...thank you** ," she said, then regained her usual tone. " **But before - do so, watch - for the New Si-. The - Silicon! New Silico-** "

 _Snap!_

The call was cut, and the phone's screen went blank.

"New...Silicon?" asked Yukari.

All of the girls were now present. All five teams stared in silence, contemplating what Shiho said.

"What is that?" asked Ayumi, sitting down on her grimoire.

"Wait a minute," Mako said. "I think I do know."

The others stared at her.

"What is New Silicon?" asked Miho, representing everybody's curiosity.

"Some type of new company," Mako admitted. "I don't know much, but they seem to be some sort of monopoly-ish organization. I heard about it being a conglomeration of three major industrial organizations."

"Is this like PAMC?" asked Saori with a growl.

"PAMC?" some of the girls asked.

"The one that started the zombie apocalypse," said Mako. "Only to be shut down for good as a result."

"The company may be shut down," Miho said. "But the people may still...exist."

Everybody suddenly shivered.

"Hopefully this **New Silicon** is NOT like that," Erwin said, her smile gone.

"But why is Shiho-senpai so scared about that one?" asked Anzu. "It's obvious that something...happened to cause her to panic. I have never heard her panic like that."

"Whatever it is," Miho began. "We'll have to move..."

Her face turned pale, as she stared at the horizon. The others looked, and gawked.

* * *

"What the?!"

"What is this?!"

"Not again?!"

The wooded savanna suddenly shifted, as the earth somehow gave way. Cracks suddenly appeared, causing even the animals to be caught off guard. Elephants, giraffes, and all kinds of animals panicked, struggling to flee from the fissures that formed so suddenly. The vast, flat and hilly lands now suddenly developed entire canyons in only a few seconds, so that many animals fell into the fissures below.

The clouds also turned dark, covering the azure sky in a blanket of sickly color. The black and rainbow colors reminded the girls of petroleum on the ground, causing some of them to feel sick.

Birds and strange animals that could fly also took off, trying to escape, only for some of them to suddenly fall down, as if the air above was poisonous. The grounds below continued to shake, causing entire trees, some hundreds of feet tall, to fall down with great thuds.

"Not another earthquake!" Erwin groaned.

"I am tired of earthquakes!" Saori screamed. "I hope this is NOT another zombie attack again!"

Suddenly, a volley of strangely colored thunderbolts struck the earth, obliterating entire patches into craters of pale sand. Animals continued, as the storm above suddenly twisted, and rainbow-colored tornadoes went down, ripping into the earth. Suddenly, blazing balls of strange colors rained down upon the savanna, looking like some twisted meteors.

In front of the girls, the cave suddenly groaned, and the roof gave way, crashing down and obliterating the entrance. The ground started to finally shake under their feet.

"I am scared!" Yuuki, Karina, and Aya all screamed, cuddling up to their other friends.

"Hold still!" Miho said. "Girls! Get to the tanks, now!"

Everybody obeyed, as they all ran to their tanks; even Azusa got up from her bed, her energy fully restored. Miho stood her ground, as she saw others...

Anzu, Momo, and Yuzu immediately entered into the Hetzer's cupola, revving up the engine. All of the Duck Team except Noriko jumped into their I-Go, while Noriko helped the Rabbit Team up into their M3 Lee before leaping into her team tank. Oryou and Saemonza went inside their StuG, while Caesar and Erwin looked around before getting in. All six Rabbit girls went into their tank, screaming as they tried to get in. Saori and Miho helped them to calm down, before they and the rest of the Ankou Team went into their Panzer.

Suddenly, the M3 Lee rammed into Ankou's back.

"Hey!" Saori screamed. "What was that?"

"So-sorry!" Azusa cried out, coming out of her cupola. "We-we don't want to lose you all again! Not since last time!"

Miho nodded in silent understanding.

"Steady!" she called out, coming out of her turret to stand on top. Her presence got the others' attention, despite the strange storm in the background. The ground continued to shake, albeit less violently than before.

"We come together now!" Miho said, taking out a set of ropes. "Here! Grab them!"

Azusa reached out, grabbing the rope. She then threw it at others, and all five tanks were now connected together.

"What about the barge?!" Momo screamed out, peeking her head.

"Leave it!" Miho commanded. "We have to go!"

All five tanks roared and moved away, just as a fissure suddenly appeared right behind them. The fissure cracked all the way into the river, causing the barge to bounce. Suddenly, the river turned a sickly rainbow color, and the barge seemed to-

"Melt?!" Noriko gasped, as the boat's layers turned into mush and sank into the river, which was draining into the fissure.

"OK!" Saori screamed. "This is worse than the earthquake from before! Zombies? Crazy! Earthquakes? Ridiculous!"

"And now some magical mayhem?!" Momo screamed with her. "This is NOT scientific at all?!"

"Hold your heads!" Miho sternly told them. "Let's go! Mako-san! Keep going straight!"

The girls continued to move, as the surroundings were turning bizarre. Trees continued to fall down, while wildfires appeared out of nowhere, engulfing the bushes in flames. Animals continued in their stampede, only to fall into newly created cracks and fissures. The sky remained a sickly blackish color, as strange thunderbolts zoomed in and out. Flocks of birds screamed and wailed, trying to fly away, only to be electrocuted by the bolts in the sky.

"Keep moving!" Miho yelled, as the five tanks moved on.

Suddenly, she felt something fall on her neck.

It hurt, and she looked up.

The rain started to fall, but it felt like-

"Acid rain?!" Miho gasped, reaching out with left hand up in the air. More drops fell, and they all felt like acid.

"Girls!" she roared, as she and others went back inside their tanks and communicated through their radio. "Keep moving! Noriko-san! Where is the button for the speed boost?"

"It's shaped like an Air Force emblem of sort!" Noriko replied through the transmission.

Everybody checked.

"On my order!" Miho screamed, as the surroundings started to get even worse. Trees vaporized, as the flames turned from red to a sickly green color. Bushes turned to ashes, as the animals suddenly became emaciated, and collapsed as if dead from thirst. The clouds raged, turning a bloody-red color.

"Press it when I say it!" she cried.

"Three!"

Mako, Yuzu, Shinobu, Oryou, and Karina all saw the buttons on the panels of their respective tanks.

"Two!"

They kept driving, and new fissures started to crack, approaching them.

"Now!"

 _Click!_

BOOM!

All five tanks started to rise up, doing a wheelie. Then, the engines roared and blasted the girls away. Only the I-Go opened up its wings and floated about two meters above, while the others merely raced with engines roaring like race cars. Fortunately, much of the vegetation was lost, so that it was mostly flat land, allowing the girls to race away easily.

"Where should we go?!" Yuuki's hysterical voice screamed into the radio.

"Follow me!" Miho called out.

She looked around, using the hatch door to shield herself from the acid rain that started to weaken.

Yet, the whole savanna was gone.

The river was gone.

The boat was gone.

The whole world was now colored rainbow, a sickly one. The clouds had a variety of colors, streaking through like oil spills. Meteors continued to rain down, slamming into the fissures below. Tornadoes of all colors roared through the landscapes, while a few animals managed to keep dodging. Even a few plants, and even fewer trees, struggled to hold on.

Miho stared, shocked at the turn of events, but quickly got out, as the rain was gone. She then looked around, and saw it.

"There!" Miho screamed, seeing something in the distance. "Mako-san!" Go to that mysterious wall there!"

"That blue wall?!" Mako muttered, but did as she was told.

All five tanks raced towards what looked like a clear, blue wall. They were now only about a mile away from the wall, which mysteriously appeared out of nowhere.

Behind them, the storm seemed to sense the five tanks, and started to roar, as multiple tornadoes and a colossal wall of fire started to race towards them.

"Help us!" a voice cracked the air.

Miho looked to her left. A single, dark-brown baby rhinoceros was running, trying to run away from the storm.

"You dare not!" Momo began. "Keep going-no!"

Miho immediately checked her rope, tying on around her waist before leaping away. The baby rhino was running parallel to the tanks, allowing her to grab it. The size of a pig, Miho easily lifted it up, before her team's tank raced towards her, allowing her to get up and restrain the baby around the turret.

"Close call!" Saori moaned. "But try and not do that again!"

Miho said nothing, holding onto the frightened baby rhino for dear. Miho vaguely noticed it, but it barely had a horn protruding out of its nose.

"It's alright," Miho said, gently patting it. It was frightened, but licked Miho in face.

"Hehe," she giggled, before looking behind with a serious eye.

The storm roared, and started to pick up speed.

"Here we go!" Miho roared, staring at the strange blue wall. She noticed that the storm did not touch the wall. The tornadoes and the wall of fire started to get closer and closer...

"Miporin!"

"Miho-san!"

"Nishizumi-dono!"

"Miho-senpani!"

"Nishizumi-chan!"

Miho panted, her breathing getting harder and harder.

"Anyone!" Miho panted at last. "Give us time!"

Suddenly, all five tanks made a final push, and the tanks roared into the wall, passing through it like it was nothing, just as the wall of fire crashed into the wall a split second later.

All five tanks creaked to a stop. Everybody onboard was panting rapidly, almost hyperventilating. Miho looked back.

The strange, blue wall kept the storm at bay. On the other side, the storm continued to rage, as if furious that it had missed its quarry. On the side where the girls were now, lush, green grasses and herbs grew in abundance. In fact, the sky in that area was tranquil and calm, with the sun shining down with a sunny smile.

"Girls!" Miho gasped, panting. "We're...we've...ha...made it!"

Then, everybody collapsed, except Miho, who stared up at the sky.

* * *

The azure-blue sky calmed her soul, as the vermilion-red flowers danced in the wind. Silver-white rays reflected from bluish-black parts of their own tanks, as Miho gazed into the sky above, imagining...

"I wonder how Heaven is like," Miho suddenly blurted out. "Wait."

She got up, shaking herself, ready to slap herself if necessary.

"This is no time to lose it," she admonished herself. "I wonder what to do...girls?"

She looked back into her tank's interior. Mako leaned into her driver's seat, snoring. Saori's glasses were cracked in the aftermath, but she was perfectly alive, just snoring silently.

"That's a long cannon..." Hana moaned in her sleep.

"And a strong shell..." Yukari grunted in her own dreamland.

Sighing in relief, she then got up and checked the other tanks. Everybody else was alive.

"Ah," she realized herself. "We slept due to exhaustion."

She checked her phone, but to her shock, it was not working.

"Oh," she noted. "Jammed? No, batteries out? That cannot be possible."

Sighing but smiling, she put it back into her pocket, and then hopped out, deciding to take a walk around. The field was also a savanna, albeit more grassland than woodland. Trees dotted more loosely; between the trees, numerous grasses and herbs grew. Miho stooped down and picked a few up.

"Ah!" she sighed in relief, smelling them and even eating a few. "Garlic and some wild herbs."

She then looked around. To her surprise, behind her was a small creek, with was flanked with plenty of trees. Snaking above, she sighted a low mountain, which could be mistaken for a giant hill.

"Let's see if we have fresh water around," Miho said to herself, climbing back into her tank, and coming out with an empty water tank. "We forgot to get enough water, so..."

Carrying it in her right hand, she walked towards the creek, and knelt down to look.

"Wow!" she remarked, staring at the crystal-clear water. She cupped some water, and smelled it.

"No impurities," she noted, before dunking her water tank into the creek, filling it to the brim.

She then lifted it up, and was about to return when she noticed something a few meters away.

On the stream bed grew a bunch of plants with heart-shaped leaves and white flowers. Upon closer inspection, Miho dashed towards them, dropping her water tank on the bank.

"Finally!" she gasped in relief, picking one up. The plant was unmistakable; its stout, warty stems looked almost like roots, but Miho ripped in half to check the inside.

"Green!" Miho sighed in relief. " **Wasabi**!"

She then scraped a few pieces, using her chainsaw sword, which she converted into an over-sized grater to turn a part of the root-like stem into paste, and tasted it.

"Ooh!" she winced, as the wasabi's taste was far stronger than she expected. "But this is real wasabi! My mom personally had a fresh supply sent to our house every month."

She sighed in relief, glad to feel "Japanese" for once, then commenced checking the field. A sizable field of wasabi plants grew, so she made a mental note to let others know. She then was about to return downstream, when something stirred in a bush nearby. She changed her grater back into a sword, ready to strike.

The bush stirred again, then...

A rabbit came out, a dark-furred individual with short ears and a weird face. Although it was a rabbit, Miho could tell that it was a primitive kind.

"Amami rabbit!" Miho realized, watching it closely. "A rare kind native to an island of Japan."

The rabbit looked up, its reddish eyes looking straight at Miho. After a few seconds, the rabbit silently went up a hill. It was not running away, and kept looking back.

"Hmm," Miho pondered, then decided to follow it.

The rabbit kept looking at her, then eventually stopped looking, and kept hopping-no, slightly scampering along. Unlike most rabbits, the Amami rabbit had short legs, so that it walked more than hopped. After about 100 m, the rabbit came upon a cave, which it entered. Miho then followed in.

The cave was empty and blackish, much like the one in which she and her friends lived in. However, as Miho entered and looked around, she sensed...something.

A small squeak emitted from a pile of rocks. Miho realized what happened, and helped to dig the rocks out. A small kit whimpered, as Miho looked at it closely. It squealed and rolled up, but the mother saw it and squeaked back. The two apparently called to each for a few seconds, their high-pitched voices echoing throughout the cave.

"I got you," Miho said, slowly reaching out.

The baby squirmed, but the mother whistled back. With some encouragement, the kit reached out, its face of wide eyes so...

"Cute," Miho whispered, as she gently pulled it out, and put it with its mother. The two squealed with delight, before cuddling up to Miho and running away.

"Well," she sighed, stretching. "That was good. Guess that was what I sensed."

Suddenly, something flashed behind her. She raised her sword, looking around.

Small drops of water fell down to the ground, making small echoes in the cave floor. The cave made an echoing sound, almost hypnotizing with each drop that fell.

"False alarm," Miho sighed in relief, as she turned around to leave the cave.

Something flashed again.

Miho turned around again, because of a noise of rocks being moved. She then cautiously approached a pile of rock, which did not move before. She then moved a few rocks away with her sword, and a cobra hissed beneath.

"Another false alarm," she sighed again, as she walked away. **Unknown to her, something glittered a little inside of her chest...**

* * *

"Miporin!" she called out. "Where have been?"

Saori and a few others managed to wake up from their sleep, as the sunlight started to render their tank quite hot.

"Man!" Noriko groaned, stretching. "The tank felt like a sauna!

"I am back," Miho said, bringing the water tank in her right arm, and holding a couple of wasabi stems in her left.

"Wait a second!" Oryou noted, getting out. "Is that wasabi?!"

The others suddenly got out, and ran towards her.

"Wasabi!" everybody screamed, glad to find something from Japan.

"Careful!" Miho warned, as a few of the girls just bit into the stem. "You have to use it as condiment..."

"AHHHH!" they screamed in pain, as they drenched themselves in the water tank, before rushing towards the stream that Miho just came from (it was not that far away).

Momo put her left hand in a face palm, while the others giggled.

"Well," Miho said. "At least we are fine now. Let's take shelter next to that giant tree there."

* * *

 **Under the shade of a giant tree**

 **1:00 PM; October 11, 20XX**

"Another cooking again," Saori said, as she rubbed her stomach. "Am I getting fat?"

"You can't get fat," Miho said, giggling as she helped out.

The girls now set up camp under a colossal tree, its crown casting large enough of a shadow to provide shade for all five tanks. Miho split them all up into four three: one to go out to hunt and gather, one to cook, and one to do the rest of the job.

The Anglerfish Team, Anzu, and Yuzu all did the cooking part, while the Duck and Hippo Teams went out to hunt and gather for food. The rest were checking their belongings; the only things saved were everything inside of the tanks. Plus, a few of them went back and forth, bringing in water tanks and bottles full of water.

"Not enough grills or pots!" Saori groaned. "And make sure you cook the water to purify them!"

"Do you always groan?" asked Mako, somewhat teasing her.

"At least we know how to make bonfires!" Yukari squealed, as she inspected the few grills that they saved, such as tripod grills.

"Food is definitely not an issue," Momo mumbled, as she munched on a strange fruit from the tree. "Hmm, what is this?"

"You like this?" Mako groaned, making a face at the fruit's taste. "I don't recognize this fruit at all."

"It's one of those trees from Africa," Hana said, opening up a pod. "What was it...boat? Bob?"

"Baobab," Mako replied, recognizing the name. "It's a unique type of tree mostly from Africa. Natives rely on it heavily for food, water, and timber; hence, it is sometimes called the 'tree of life.' It's also called an 'upside-down tree' because of the shape of its branches."

The others looked up. Despite the heavy foliage, the branches were indeed root-like: more gnarly than usual for a tree branch. The branches also bore very robust, white flowers, with mature fruit capsules hanging down, swaying slightly in the breeze.

"But only Miho seems to know about this fruit," Saori noted. "Having visited Brazil once, she knows-"

"You've been to Brazil?!" the Rabbit Team girls squealed in excitement. Even Saki, who normally gazed into space, stared at Miho with a rare passion.

"When I was a kid," Miho explained, sweating a little at the sight. "My mother took me and my onee-chan to Brazil for a vacation. There, I met a variety of people and food. I saw the baobab fruit only three times, but that's why I know about this fruit."

"If you did not," Azusa groaned. "We would have never eaten those..."

Miho smiled.

"Most fruits," she explained. "Are edible for humans, with rare exceptions. The whole point of fruit is to be eaten, as if..."

Miho looked up at the sky.

"Ah!" she realized, looking down to regain her composure; the others were staring at her, curious. "Sorry about that. How are the grills going?"

To her relief, the hunting group arrived, causing everybody else to shift focus, as the girls commenced the butchering process...

* * *

 **Under the shade of a giant tree**

 **2:30 PM; October 11, 20XX**

"Done!" Saori finally blurted out.

Despite the loss of the boat, and the cargo onboard, the girls had some grills inside of their tanks, and some of the girls already had experience with basic survival skills. Hence, the girls still managed to have another feast, relishing an abundance of game, vegetables, and fruits.

"What animals are these?" asked Noriko, biting on a rib of meat, while dipping its bits into a bowl of freshly ground wasabi.

"You ask that?" Mako groaned. "While eating it?"

"Some kind of a camel," Noriko said, shrugging. "At least it's edible."

"We have ten giant pigs," Momo said, swallowing her morsel with wasabi. "Eight antelopes, five cattle of some sort, three camels, and..."

She stared at a deer-like animal, except it had huge hindlegs and small arms. Saori, most of the Rabbit girls, and some others avoided eating it.

"It's kangaroo," Miho said, biting into a rib. "Mm! It's sweet!"

"Me too!" Hana sighed in relief, on her third rib. "This is amazing!"

"Not bothered by eating a kangaroo?!" Saori gasped. "They're such cute animals!"

"This is survival," Miho explained. "You cannot be picky with what you eat."

Saori and most of the Rabbit girls sighed.

"But yeah," she said. "We now eat a lot more now."

"Perhaps it's due to the magic?" suggested Mako. "Now that you say it, after we use up our powers, we feel hungry."

"Us too!" the Duck Team roared in unison.

"Does the tree have more fruits?" asked Yuzu, looking up. "That one fruit is almost ready, I think."

"Those fruits," said Mako. "Take about six months to ripen."

Some of the girls, including Yuzu, moaned.

"Good thing we're lucky," Mako continued. "At least we have a little food."

"Can we make them grow faster?" asked Yuzu.

"Let me check that one fruit," Miho said, summoning her sword. She raised it up, in order to cut the fruit's very long pedicel.

Suddenly, a burst of energy went out of the sword, and rapidly turned the fruit from yellow to brown.

"Oh!" Miho gasped, as others watched. The blade cut through, and the fruit fell down. Miho caught it, and cracked it open.

"It's ripe!" she noted.

"Do you mean..." Saori trailed off. Everybody else summoned their own weapons, and directed the weapons to some plants. Wherever the girls pointed, bursts of energy came out, and caused the plants around them to grow faster. Some of them even pointed towards the flowers. Bursts of energy sprang out from their weapons, and the flowers wilted, then started to form fruits. However, only the yellow pods became fully brown, ready to be eaten.

"Much faster," Mako blinked, showing surprise.

"So these weapons," Azusa said, inspecting her staff. "Can not only attack enemies, but also encourage plants to grow faster?"

"Why that power?" asked Karina, as she jumped up to snatch a fruit.

"At least now," Mako said. "We can get ripe fruits faster."

"But only the immature fruits," Miho remarked. "The flowers wilted, because they are not ready to be fruits yet."

"This whole island thing!" Momo yelled again, getting into a fit as usual. "Is annoying! First, we become this Chosen-thing! Second, we are now superheroes of sort! And three, this magic-thing is both crazy and annoying!"

"You mean awesome," Anzu corrected her, munching on her dried sweet potato.

"For now," Miho said, causing her sword to disappear. "Let's pack up, get water, wasabi, and anything we need, and go."

* * *

 **On a strange savanna**

 **3:30 PM; October 11, 20XX**

The girls continued on their tanks, this time at a leisurely pace. The girls were driving the new savanna, which was easier to traverse, thanks to the abundance of grasses and herbs, instead of trees and bushes from before. The animals were also slightly different, as Miho noticed more camels, deer, and even wild horses and bison.

It definitely felt more like a typical "American wilderness" than the previous savanna.

"Strange," Miho noted, surveying around. "This is a different place, yet feels so...familiar."

She then gasped.

"This is just like California!" she noted. "Especially the Central Valley!"

A few girls noted, and gasped in agreement.

"Good thing!" Momo remarked, almost sarcastically. "Hopefully no zombies around!"

"There are none of them, so far," said Yuzu, teasing her. "Momo-bie."

"Why are you giving me nicknames?!" Momo screamed in annoyance. "And I am NOT a zombie!"

Miho and the others giggled, as they continued their drive up towards...anywhere.

 _Brrr..._

 _Brrr..._

 _Brrr..._

The tanks groaned, as the caterpillar tracks crushed the grasses underneath, leaving behind a trail of five tracks in their wake. However, Miho noticed that only a few meters afterwards, the grasses started to rebound, as if by magic.

 **"This magic," Miho remarked, gazing at her chainsaw sword. "Is weird, after all."**

"Now somebody is listening!" Momo blurted out.

"But does it have any limitations?" asked Miho rhetorically.

"Limitations?" Anzu asked, getting out. "Well, all we know that this magic-thing has dramatically improved our chances of survival. However, it also altered us, so that we are stronger but way, WAY taller than usual."

"I wonder why?" Miho pondered, thinking. "Is that a consequence of using magic...?"

"Are we going somewhere?" Mako interrupted.

"Oh!" Miho answered, her train of thought gone. She looked around.

Still vast expanses of grass and herb stretched throughout, dotted evenly by trees. Herds and herds of animals grazed the lands, while wolves, pumas, and even lions prowled the landscape, looking for a suitable target. The winds blew serenely, the trees and grasses dancing with them.

The girls kept on driving for miles and miles.

"Are we going somewhere?" Mako asked again.

"We're..." Miho said, looking around. "Just moving on."

"Hmm," Erwin noted. "This is like the battle of..."

She frowned, trying to think of a battle.

"Look!" Miho suddenly shouted, getting everybody's attention.

They all looked. There was a single signpost, wooden but clearly manmade.

"Nice!" Saori roared, eyeing the post with enthusiasm. "Civilization at last!"

"Let's a go!" the Rabbit girls screamed, as Karina pushed the speed boost button. The modified M3 Lee then roared, charging straight towards the signpost.

"Wait!" Miho tried to yell over the roars of engines, as more tanks drove with speed boost. "Do-don't just run towards..."

Four tanks floored their engines, and just rushed towards the signpost. Only the Panzer went at a steady pace, as Miho looked on.

The first tank to reach the signpost was the I-Go, which stopped just inches away from the wooden post. Noriko then hopped out, and so did the other girls inside the tank. Others reached the post, and eventually the Panzer arrived.

All of the girls then got out, and checked the post.

"Eh?" Karina groaned, staring at the post. "There is nothing there."

Suddenly, Miho sniffed the air.

"Hey," she began. "Do you notice-"

Pop!

She heard a small pop, then 21 more pops followed. Miho noticed something hit the back of her neck, and realized what it was.

"Tranquilizer dart!" Miho shouted, but it was too late.

All 22 girls suddenly felt drowsy, their legs weakening and stumbling.

"Oh..." Momo groaned.

"Well," Mako said, lying down immediately. "I can finally sleep."

All except Miho soon fell down to the ground, snoring and sleeping. Miho collapsed too, but knelt.

 **Suddenly, something glowed on her chest, although she did not notice.**

"Ha...ha!" she gasped, as her body somehow resisted the sedative. The strange glow was gone, but Miho panted a little, and managed to get up.

"Who's there?!" she shouted out, raising her sword, only to wince and drop it. Although she was still awake, her body was now weaker, unable to raise the sword, which then vanished in a cloud of golden dust.

"I guess I have no choice," Miho sighed, then raised her hands in surrender, while kneeling down.

Three figures suddenly appeared, right behind her and her girls' tanks. Miho was amazed that they followed them, without being noticed. As Miho kept her hands up, she observed them.

They were dressed in strange jackets and shirts, made of leather and cotton. Squinting her eyes, Miho noticed that the clothes were covered in fur, and she realized.

 _Ah_ , she thought. _They wore fur, made of lion's fur, which concealed them. That's why even I did not notice them; they were camouflaged!_

She also noticed them wearing strange boots, which were also camouflaged like the rest of clothing. They also appeared to have some fur, so that it was even harder to notice. The strangest thing, however, was the three figures taking something out of their pockets, and putting feathers on top.

Miho gasped.

"Native Americans," Miho whispered, as the three figures approached. "Not Chosen Ones but...how were they able to sedate us so easily?"

Three men, dressed in unmistakable Amerindian outfits, stared at Miho with intense eyes. Although she felt nervous, she stared back with her own eyes.

A tense moment followed. The winds continued to whistle. The trees swayed. The grasses bowed. The girls continued to sleep, making snoring sounds.

"Who are you?" asked the middle man. Although all three were dressed alike, they wore something on their chest. All three wore emblems, stitched unto their shirts. However, all three were different; the middle man's had turquoise in the middle, crafted so that it looked like a beautiful amulet. Even Miho gazed at the jewel, mesmerized.

Suddenly, the left man snapped his fingers, and Miho looked at him. He also looked like the middle one, but his emblem had a strangely crafted wood, which looked like some precious timber. It was shaped to look like a lion's jaw.

"Uh..." Miho muttered, then cleared her throat. "I am Miho, one of the survivors."

The right man glared at her, but Miho reciprocated with an honest eye. The right man's emblem, however, was made of a variety of teeth, the white enamel glittering a little in the sun. In fact, the tooth emblem was shaped like a sun, with the canine teeth lining the circle like the sun's rays.

"Who are these?" the right man growled. "All of them are Chosen, but she's the only one to resist our darts!"

"But she's weak now," the middle man said. "And definitely wise enough to surrender."

"A noble soul," the left man mumbled. "But how was she able to resist?"

"I honestly do not know," Miho admitted. "We-we just survived a strange storm of sort, and managed to pass through the blue wall. We're not exactly in a bad state, but thank you."

The men stared at her, surprised but grateful for her words. Even the right man's face lost its frown, and he nodded slowly.

"Friends," the middle man said, kneeling down. "I think she and her group are not a threat."

"But let's bind them," the right man said. "For now, remember what happened when we spared one of the Chosen Ones?"

The left man hesitated, then nodded slowly.

"You got ambushed?" Miho asked.

"We were attacked by some Chosen Ones," the middle man explained, binding her with ropes. They felt...strange.

"That's why we have to take precautionary measures," the left man said, as he checked the other girls. "Mankiller, sound the call, and rally others to transport our prisoners."

 _Mankiller?!_ Miho thought with shock, although her face did not show it. _Scary name..._

Mankiller nodded, then breathed in and yelled.

"AYAYAYAYA-KAKAKA-MAMAMA-HATAHATA-NANANA!"

The strange shout echoed in the distance. Then, rows of men suddenly appeared from the fields, and Miho marveled at how good they were with hiding.

"For now," the middle man said, letting her stand up on her own. "We'll have to restrain you all."

As they bound her friends and carried them, Miho could not help but ask.

"Who are you?"

The three men looked at her.

"We are the **Nuroks** ," the middle man said, before beckoning her to follow.

* * *

 **And that's it! Please review, like, and favorite! Thank you!**

 **P.S. Remember that a review is posted only once per chapter, so if you have a burning question, please PM me first just in case.**


	8. Chapter 8: Meet the Nuroks

**Greetings from SeekerMeeker. Welcome to a new world.**

* * *

 **And disclaimer: I know that all of us are "guilty" skimming through a story, so in order to hopefully minimize that, I will bold and mark some important parts (unless the parts are nearby lines or are easy enough to notice or something). That way, at least you all know what's important to read, and what's not; this is a "dirty little secret" I learned while in college. This is one way of getting a good grade: you don't spend your whole free time reading; you focus on what's important.**

 **But I perfectly understand that for writing, so I have no bad feelings about that. Hence, here we go:**

 **(I recommend that you all at least read the chapter though, because I put my thoughts and heart into writing this. And thank you.)**

* * *

 **Girls Wild Rise**

 **Chapter 8: Meet the Nuroks**

 **Somewhere in the strange savanna...**

 **5:45 AM; October 12, 20XX**

"Mm," Miho grunted, getting up. "Huh, I slept well, despite the binds on my hands."

She got up, surprised that the men all around her did NOT even try to bind her feet. However, she had no reason to run away either; all of her friends, 21 in all, were sleeping soundly, still under the influence of the mysterious sedative. Whatever it was, it sure did its job well. She then walked carefully towards her friends.

"Girls," she whispered. "You OK?"

A few of them mumbled.

"Sleep well," she replied, smiling.

"Ni...Nishizumi..." groaned a voice.

"Just keep sleeping," she replied. "Yukari-san."

"Augh..." was the response before a snore answered her. Smiling again, Miho then walked away, and sat down at her original location: between two guards, both of whom were still sleeping.

"You sure care about your friends," said a voice.

She turned, no longer surprised. The same three men, the first of the Nuroks that she met, towered before her. She got up, and made a small bow.

"Thank you," she replied.

"Have you eaten?" one of them.

She blinked, looking up at them.

"Ah," the middle man noted. "She's not one of us. In Japan and in the US, you all say 'hello' or something like that. In our culture, however, our greeting isn't that; it's 'have you eaten?' that we use."

Miho nodded.

"Get up," said the middle man. She got up, and walked with the men.

"So," Miho said, as she walked along with the men. "Who are you?"

"Nuroks," said the man with the tooth emblem on his chest. He glared at her, although his eyes seemed a little...soft.

"She meant our names," said the man with the wooden emblem.

"Ah," the middle man said, facing her. "We Nuroks have a different type of naming. In general, we are named based on our achievements and deeds. Mike Mankiller is the one who made the call-"

"Nighthawk Nightwalker!" Mike growled. "Why are you warming so fast to a potential enemy?"

"She's no enemy," said Nighthawk. "I know, and you know."

"And you?" asked Miho at the last of the trio.

The man turned, with a nice smile. He looked like the others; in fact, all three looked like brothers.

"You think we're brothers?" asked the man.

She blinked.

"Yes," she replied.

"See?" the man declared, giggling. "Mankiller! Nightwalker! This girls is impressive! We are brothers!"

"Stop it," Mankiller growled. "You too, Lucas Lighteater?"

Miho giggled, causing Mankiller to glare at her. She looked at him straight in the eyes.

Four eyes met.

Two watched with soft kindness.

Two watched with killing suspicion.

"Enough," said Nightwalker. "She's the very first Chosen One to resist the sedative. She must be a special case; we respect them as we do with our quarry."

A few yawns greeted the four.

"It's time to get ready," said Nighthawk. "Brothers, let us march."

Suddenly, Miho remembered.

"Ah! The tanks!"

"Worry not," said Nighthawk. "You somehow controlled all five tanks, causing them all to follow you. Mm, Chosen Ones are quite strong."

Miho sighed in relief, remembering that she somehow managed to remotely control all five tanks to come with them.

 _Wonder what more surprises will we get?_ Miho wondered.

"But," Miho said. "To be honest, it's not easy to control all of the tanks. I feel tired out after a while."

"Ah," Nighthawk said. "No wonder you struggled."

He took out a knife, and cut off her binds. Miho flexed her freed hands.

"Better?" asked Nighthawk.

"I do!" Miho said. "I feel stronger, too."

Mike growled in the background.

"In the meantime," said Nighthawk. "Let us continue. Get the tanks ready, Miss Miho. We're going."

* * *

The men woke up en masse, and inspected their goods. Some of them stared at Miho, while others glared. Miho giggled nervously.

"Was it that bad?" asked Miho. "That a Chosen One did something that bad?"

"It was," said Nighthawk, his face grim.

"I apologize for whoever did that," she said, giving a curtsy.

The men stared at her, while a few dropped their jaws.

"Well..." Nighthawk stammered. "Ah...she's gone, but we accept your apology."

"That was random," Mike whispered to Nighthawk. "Apologizing for an action that she's innocent of...what's she thinking?"

"She knows she's innocent," said Nighthawk. "It's to help us to forgive them better."

Mike growled, as 21 of their men each carried a still-sedated girl.

Some were...not so fortunate.

"Augh!" one of the Nuroks groaned, as he lifted up Taeko. "So heavy!"

"I can help," Miho said, coming up to help push Taeko unto the man's back.

"Thanks," the Nurok complimented. "Wait, you helped me?!"

"Why?" Miho asked innocently.

"You're a prisoner," said the Nurok.

"But I can still help," Miho replied, leaving him and others speechless.

However, they commenced their march back to the base. Miho looked around.

She noticed that the Nuroks were quite tall and robust, strong enough to lift each girl up. She estimated that the Nuroks seemed to average about 210 cm (seven feet) tall, which surprised her.

 _Guess the Orb's strange magic affected everyone_ , Miho thought. _Plus, that makes sense why the men were able to carry my friends for four hours straight yesterday._

"Move," said one of the guards.

"Oh, sorry!" she replied, catching up to the front of the line of men.

* * *

 _Yesterday, the Nurok hunters captured all of her friends, and after four hours of walking, decided to set up a camp for the night. They casually dumped the girls onto an area of grass, almost like bags of rice. Miho, however, got a different treatment: two very large men flanked her, their biceps bulging. She noted that they were of the same height as her._

 _"You hungry?" asked one of the Nuroks, who appeared slim with a kind face. He opened up his leather bag, and gave Miho one of the first experiences of the Nurok culture._

 _"Strawberry!" she slightly squealed, as she reached with her mouth, since her hands were bound at this time. The man let her bite the fruit, and let go to let her finish. She chewed the whole berry, including the leaves._

 _"Oops, but thank you," she replied, giggling. "At least the leaves tasted fresh."_

 _The Nurok man smiled, and went off to help with making a tent. Her guards, however, remained stern and firmly by her side, although their eyes betrayed a sense of gratitude._

 _"You like strawberries," one of the guards grunted, taking a strawberry from his own bag. This time, he gave her a particularly red, juicy one, and Miho smiled and ate with relish._

 _"Keep on your guard," Mankiller growled. "They are still Chosen Ones."_

 _"But she's unusual," said the guard who fed her. "I know that Chosen who almost murdered our women. She's definitely not her."_

 _"But she was unpredictable," said Mankiller, glaring at her. "That Chosen One who did that before...So, be on your guard, and stay up for the night."_

 _"We hear and we listen," the two guards replied, raising up their right hands as if waving._

* * *

The men continued to carry their prisoners, with Miho walking in front of the parade of men carrying them. The two guards still flanked her, keeping a sharp eye on her. The men continued to walk, as the men and prisoners trekked through miles after miles of savanna. Suddenly, they ended up hiking up a mountain, and the men started to grunt a little, as it was starting to feel a little burdensome to carry and hike at the same time.

"Do you need help?" Miho asked.

"Keep moving," the guards ordered her.

"Sure do," one of the Nuroks suddenly said, coming over to her. He was carrying Akebi.

"Can you carry her?" he asked, moving her around.

"I can," she replied, as the Nurok put the buxom girl on her, her hands wrapping around Miho's neck.

"Ugh..." she groaned.

"Stay still," Miho told her, heaving her up and carrying her.

"Oh my," the Nurok remarked. "She sure is strong."

The others merely grunted, and let her keep going. However, the men started to soften a little; even the guards watching Miho started to give her a little more space, although they still glared at her occasionally.

They continued for a whole hour without stopping; Miho herself was surprised that she was still able to carry Akebi without panting. She also noticed that the Nuroks were a little relaxed now; instead of looking at her and the girls frequently, they casually glanced before marching on.

Another hour passed, and the three main leaders-Mike, Nighthawk, and Lucas-all halted.

"Ready to climb," was the single word from their mouths.

Miho looked up, and breathed.

"Let's do this," Miho blurted out. The others stared at her, and she started the long hike up. To the surprise of the other Nuroks, the three leaders let her go up, but did not question them, as the leaders closely followed her.

"She's a good one," Lucas remarked.

"Stronger than expected," was the curt reply from Mike.

Two more hours passed, as the group trekked through vegetation after vegetation. Finally, the group reached the top, and Miho gazed at the view. She gasped in awe.

"Wow..."

They were now on the outskirts of what looked like a vast area of forest, but spaced unevenly with grassy patches and bodies of water. Rivers snaked through the woodland, while lakes and hills dotted the area.

It was an amazing sight.

 **Miho then noticed a large area, with strange outcroppings covered by giant tree crowns.**

"Ah," Miho noted.

"We still have about three more hours," the trio declared.

"That's your settlement?" Miho asked, pointing at the strange area of outcroppings with her right hand.

"Yes," said Lucas. "That's our home."

"Don't warm up so fast," said Mike Mankiller, although he also was showing signs of softening. "She's still dangerous, you know."

"Heh," Nighthawk snickered, giving a sly grin at Mike. "Look who's talking."

"Shut up," Mike groaned, as the group continued down.

"Oh..." Anzu suddenly groaned, yawning as she opened her eyes. "What...happened?"

"The sedative is wearing off," said Nighthawk. He took out his weapons: a pair of tomahawks, the steel heads shining in the sunlight.

"Let's do this," said Mike, taking something out of his spear. Miho gasped, as it was a flintlock musket.

 _These Nuroks surprise me_ , Miho thought. _He hid the musket inside of his spear; no wonder I thought it was a little too thick for a spear..._

"This girl is a thinker," Lucas teased, throwing something at Mike. "And here is your gunstock club."

Mike grunted in approval, and attached it to his musket. Miho tilted her head, finding it odd that his weapon of choice was a primitive firearm.

"Don't let its appearance trick you," Mike said, snapping his fingers. She noticed small sparks of energy from the fingers.

"Look who's talking again," Lucas teased him, brandishing his bow, which was covered in feathers.

"Oh..." Momo groaned, raising her head. "What the..."

"Brothers," said Nighthawk. "Get ready..."

* * *

 **Down the mountain...**

 **12:00 PM; October 12, 20XX**

"So we're prisoners? Whatever."

"Prez! This is crazy!"

"Calm down, Momo-chan."

"Stop that!"

Some of the men smirked, amused by the trio's antics. They definitely lightened up the mood.

"But this is still crazy!" Momo roared.

All of 22 girls were now fully awake, and walked in a line. Miho and her group led the pack. Behind them, the six girls of the Rabbit Team followed closely, visibly scared of the men around them. Behind the Rabbit, the Turtle girls continued their antics. The Duck Team followed behind, with the Hippo Team last, and trailing behind them are some of the men and the tanks moaning behind.

"Finally," Mako groaned. "I feel sleepy for once."

"That was amazing!" Yukari squealed. "You were able to get all five tanks to come follow, like dogs!"

"Eh..." Miho giggled nervously. "I guess that was just because there was no other way."

"Can you control them again?" asked Saori.

Miho turned around and focused.

"No," she replied.

Saori shrugged, despite struggling with her binds.

"At least they are all safe," she remarked.

"And what are they going to do with us?!" roared Momo. This time, the Nuroks ignored her, since she threw a tantrum for minutes on end.

"Calm down please," Miho said.

"We're scared..." Azusa and her team moaned, cuddling up to the Ankou girls, especially Miho and Saori.

Nonetheless, the girls continued to march, obediently following the Nuroks. Eventually, they went through the forest, and entered an unusual area, which they entered by crossing a very shallow stream.

"Isn't this a forest?" asked Karina, looking around.

"It is," answered Azusa. "Except more peaceful, and with huge trees!"

Indeed, she was right, and the girls gasped.

Across the stream, the forest was quite different. Trees with colossal trunks towered over the people like sequoias, except that they had white flowers and burs hanging from the crowns. Beneath, ancient-looking oaks, beautiful maples, hickories, and all kinds of trees and bushes crowded the spaces below.

"Chestnuts," Hana gasped.

"Chestnuts?!" the others gasped, looking up at the arboreal behemoths.

"Those are huge for a chestnut tree!" Saori replied, gawking. "I have seen chestnut trees back in our homeland, but none of them are this HUGE!"

"It's like the battle..." Erwin trailed off, realizing that a tree had NOTHING to do with a military battle.

"These are American chestnut trees," Nighthawk said, smiling.

"Am-American chestnuts?!" the girls gasped again, staring up at the trees.

"These girls are cute," said Lucas. "Aren't they?"

"Don't bother me!" Mike moaned, trying to maintain his stern composure.

"It's been a while since we let a stranger come by here," said Nighthawk.

"Man," Yukari remarked. "Everything is bigger in America, huh?"

"This is the Chestnut Valley," said Nighthawk. "One of our lands."

"Being so casual?" Mike growled. "Please be on your guard."

"You know me," said Nighthawk. "I am exercising caution this time, too."

The girls then continued on. Miho and all of the girls looked around, gazing at the spectacle. It felt surreal, as if the girls were in Eden.

The girls then encountered a trail, and the men then made new sounds.

"And don't be a blight to us," said Nighthawk.

"Huh?" Miho asked, but the men were suddenly gone. They disappeared.

"What?!" the girls gasped in shock, looking around. Although the trees were so peaceful, it felt ominous. Strange sounds echoed throughout the forests, scaring some of the girls despite the sunlight. To make matters worse, all except Miho still had binds on them. A few of the girls, Momo and the Duck Team girls in particular, struggled to break free.

"They won't budge!" Noriko declared, trying to squeeze out her arms. However, the binds glowed a strange green color, and adjusted to prevent any effort from working. Eventually, all of the girls who struggled sighed in resignation.

"Let's run!" Momo said, but Miho cleared her throat, albeit softly and cutely.

"I don't think that will help," said Miho. "Especially since we are still bound."

"But you're not!" Momo roared. "Your hands are free! You alone can help us!"

"I think they're testing us," Miho blatantly said.

Silence.

"Testing us?!" the girls responded, gawking.

"What do you mean by that?!" Momo roared. "You can just use your free hands to summon your sword and cut us loose!"

"I don't think so," Miho said, coming close to inspect Momo's binds. "Hmm, an unusual type of magic. I don't recognize this, and I don't want to risk hurting you all anyway."

Momo groaned in defeat.

"Can't you try?" asked Momo again.

"I don't think so," she admitted. "They seem cautious towards the Chosen Ones like us, so I want to be careful."

"What should we do, Miho-senpai?" asked Azusa, shaking.

"Let's follow the road," Miho said. "Maybe, we can prove that we are worth their trust."

"Just letting us walk?!" some of the girls gasped.

"It's like the Trail of Tears..." Erwin mumbled.

"That's it," Miho said, causing the Hippo Team to fall very silent. "Let's go."

The girls marched up. Miles after miles, the chestnut trees towered over them, reminding Miho and the others of the redwoods and sequoias they saw back in California.

"Small wonder," said Oryou. "They are called the 'sequoias of the East' with good reasons."

"But I saw none of these in pictures of the Appalachians," said Yukari. "I don't remember seeing any of them."

Miho sighed, then cleared her throat. The others looked at her with anticipation.

"Maybe that's why," Miho said. "I remember Nighthawk, one of the leaders, talking about a 'blight.' Hana-san, what do you know about the American chestnut?"

Hana thought, then her eyes widened.

"Ah..." she realized, sighing. "The American chestnut was originally one of the main trees dominant in the East Coast of the United States of America. Years ago, Americans enjoyed eating chestnuts because of that. Then...somebody accidentally brought in wood from Europe...infected with chestnut blight, a type of fungal disease."

The girls were silent, as they slowly looked up at the trees. The trees were very healthy, their bark fresh and devoid of holes or anything indicative of infection.

"So," said Erwin grimly. "They are testing us, after all."

"But why make us travel to their town by ourselves?" asked Caesar.

"Let's just go up," said Miho. "Let us show them that we are not blight, but blessing."

The girls continued their trek, then suddenly came upon a rainbow-colored field. The girls stared, then gasped.

"Corn?!" Saori noted. "But I see purple, red, and...all kinds of colors!"

 **Indeed, it was a cornfield. Rows after rows of maize lined the farmland. However, they were surrounded by vines of beans and some vegetables and fruits. Pumpkins and squashes lined the grounds. Unlike the usual farms, which were dominated by a single crop, the farmland here was rows after rows of rainbow of crops.**

"Not the kinds we expected," Hana noted, inspecting the crops. "Scarlet corn...pinto beans with red and white markings...weird pumpkins with warts all over them."

The girls then spotted numerous women collecting the crops, and they marveled at the women doing the farming work, not men. Indeed, Miho counted over 144 women, and only three men working in the fields. They picked up the cobs by hand, while using scissors and sickles to carefully separate the pods and the fruits.

"You girls on your test march?" asked one of the women, who came out, holding a basket full of produce on her head.

The girls nodded, and some, including Miho, even bowed down a little. The woman giggled.

"Well then," she said. "Keep going up this road, and you will find our base. It's been a while since we've had strangers come here, let alone..."

She eyed them, then gasped.

"The Dangerous Ones," she mumbled. "But at least our hunters trust you all enough. Make sure you keep following the road."

She then deliberately walked back into the field, picking up more plants.

"Da-Dangerous Ones?" Yuuki stuttered, sticking close to Saori. "Takebe-senpai, we're scared..."

"Calm down," Saori said. "They're as scared as we are."

"Hmm," Miho mused. "Girls, let's march still; **at least they let us live and walk for another day**."

The girls trekked through the field. Miles after miles of maize, beans, and squash stretched around; in the distance, the girls noticed some trees dotting near the edges.

"You girls hungry?" a voice asked.

Multiple stomach growls answered, causing some of the girls to blush.

"Hehe," the source of the voice appeared. A youthful woman, she appeared to be relatively of college age, except with no wrinkles on her face. She then laid down her basket, and showed them her food.

"What are those?" asked Yukari. "Food bars?"

"Pemmican," she replied.

"Pemmican?"

"Something like food bars, as you said," the woman replied, handing some to Miho in a slightly wooly handkerchief. "But these are a mixture of dried meat, fat, and berries."

Miho took a piece with her hands, and bit it.

"Ooh!" she responded. "Quite nice!"

"Food is food," Momo grunted, as she and others chewed on the morsels. Due to their binds tying their hands behind their backs, all the other girls had to rely on the woman and Miho feeding them by hand.

"Mmm."

"This is better than expected!"

"Wow..."

The woman smiled, as she watched the girls eat and be satisfied.

"Ah," the woman realized, getting up. "I better get going. Good luck meeting our chiefs!"

She then took her basket up, and hurried down somewhere.

 **"Surprisingly nice to us," said Saori. "Especially since they apparently know that we're Chosen Ones."**

"What happened that they are so wary of us?" asked Karina. "And why are they so friendly too?"

 **"We have to march on," Anzu said. "And hope to Kami or God that we'll know and live."**

The girls continued on, their bellies satisfied with the morsels. Despite being small bits, the pemmican surprised the girls, as the pieces of the food filled their stomachs enough to keep them going (it did not make them full, but something inside the stomach was worth the wait). After some hundreds of meters, Mako blinked.

"I see town," she remarked casually.

The others looked, and they stared in stunned silence.

"I was expecting a group of tipi tents," Erwin said what they ALL thought. "But this is...so different."

 **Instead of tents, the girls saw a sizable town of adobe houses, longhouses, and even treehouses on top of giant trees. Indeed, even from a distance, the streets were bustling with activity. The adobe houses caught their attention the most; they were huge, over five stories tall. Even better, they were attached to a nearby cliff, so that they looked bigger than they appeared.**

"Cliff Palace," Yukari remarked. "It reminds me of the Cliff Palace."

"What is that?" asked Karina, still staring at the spectacle.

 **"The Cliff Palace is a type of archaeological site," explained. Yukari. "Featuring the architecture of the Ancient Pueblo people. In fact, they build the tallest houses in the US ever, until the modern era. The buildings are impressive."**

Nearby, rows after rows of longhouses lined the streets, with people coming in and out. Children of all sizes and ages sauntered about, playing tugs of war, tags, and even lacrosse. A few were playing with a soccer ball (albeit old and dirty), kicking them back and forth into netted goals. Not far away, women were pounding and cooking on stoves, grills, and pots of all kinds. Men went back and forth, carrying giant animals that they just slaughtered.

The girls drooled.

"Let us enter," Miho said, marching forward. The others followed, and after just a mile, the girls met the front gate.

Or more like half a mile.

"They're coming!" one of the guards shouted. "Our prisoners are coming here! They choose to stay! Let them in!"

"AYYYIII-YI-YI-NAY-NAY-NAAAAA!"

The wooden gates opened before the girls even approached it. The girls continued to march, bound and uncertain. The town's bustling activity suddenly stopped, as the inhabitants started to peek at the newcomers.

Miho then approached the front gate, but two guards stopped her in her tracks.

"Halt," they commanded. "You must be the Chosen One, who managed to resist the sleep."

Miho blinked, then nodded.

"Come on it," they replied, and the girls entered through the gate.

* * *

 **The Nurok Town**

 **5:00 PM; October 12, 20XX**

The group of Chosen girls paraded through, their tanks following behind. The whole settlement stared in awe and fear. Some ran away, peeking behind houses and poles, while others watched them.

"We feel like in a parade again," Yuzu mumbled.

"We are," Saori chimed in.

They continued to march through. Apparently, the people there were ready; the roads were instantly emptied, so that the girls could walk through easily. Guards flanked them front, left, right, and behind. Tanks slowly rolled behind; a few guards were on top, in order to block the cupolas and other doors.

After what felt like another mile, the girls stopped at the ONE building that looked like a tepee.

Or looked vaguely like one.

"It's more like a yurt," Saemonza noted.

"The Mongolian type of tent?" asked Yukari.

"That's right!" the Hippo Team roared in unison, becoming silent when the Nurok archers pointed their arrows at them.

"Sorry about that," Miho said, giving the archers a small bow. The men blinked, puzzled but grateful for the show of respect.

 **The girls then all stood in front of the yurt-like structure. It was colossal, the size resembling a circus tent. However, it had adobe walls lined with logs, while the roof had grasses growing on it. On top of the "tip," however, was an upside-down cone structure, made of logs. On top of this structure were three giant wooden monuments, carved to look like giant feathers; they even had feathers etched onto them!**

"Where are we?" Miho asked one of the guards, whom she recognized as a hunter from the group that guided them.

"We are at the **Amerindian Abode** ," he replied. "But be careful; the chiefs here are serious. They're coming!"

All of the Nuroks present stiffened, and posed in preparation. Seeing this, the Ooarai girls also emulated the example.

The mahogany doors, etched with what looked like gold, red, and black markings, creaked. Then, to the surprise of the Ooarai girls, the doors did not open sideways; instead, they opened UP, splitting into three separate blocks. Then, the chiefs appeared.

"Wow," the girls gasped.

Three chiefs appeared, and they vaguely resembled the picture of native American chiefs, whom the girls were familiar with in their history textbooks about the American continents. However, they were quite unique.

They approached the girls, and stood stiff but sternly in front of them, towering over them on top of a wooden platform. Flanking them were six gargantuan guards, who looked large enough to tower over even the Chosen Ones. The middle chief looked the most "native American" of the three; he had a very fancy headdress, garnished with a variety of feathers, some of which Miho realized were from tropical birds. However, his clothing and jewelry were etched with turquoise of all kinds of shapes and sizes, except for the chest insignia; it was one huge circle of dried golden corn, with a picture of a tipi with an upside-down triangle and three feathers on top.

 _Emblem is the spitting image of the Abode_ , Miho thought.

The chief on the right, however, was dressed very differently. He wore what looked like a suit of armor, vaguely reminiscent of what samurais wore. However, it was gilded in gold against ebony and bright red markings; in fact, Miho realized that the chief was wearing a suit made of both wood AND metal. His chest emblem was made of a variety of teeth, designed to look like a sun, except with the mouth of a vicious pantherine animal in the center.

The chief on the left, however, was the most naked of them all; he wore just a brown, leather breechcloth that covered his groin and butts. In fact, of the three, his chest emblem was the most obviously hanging by a necklace; it was made of wood, designed to look like an eagle with wings outspread.

However, all of them wore furred moccasins, and each held a crooked knife in the right hand. They also had paints of animal footprints on their bodies, even the armor. **All of them wore feathers on top of their heads.**

After what felt like a few minutes of tense silence, the middle chief spoke.

"Who are these beings?" he asked.

Suddenly, three warriors appeared, raising their right hands in greeting.

"They are prisoners," said Mike.

"We weakened all of them," said Nighthawk. "And brought them here."

"Except for this one," said Lucas, waving at Miho.

Miho waved back.

"Ahem!" the chiefs declared, and Miho posed, looking up at them, despite feeling nervous inside.

 _Got to stay firm!_ she thought.

"Who are you?" asked the middle chief.

"I-I am Miho," she answered. "Nishizumi Miho."

The chiefs stared at Miho. She was the only one who somehow resisted the sedative (and she had no idea why). She was the only one without any binds on her; if she could, she could just summon her sword right there. However, she had standards, and waited patiently for the chiefs to contemplate.

"Definitely not the type to rebel," said the middle chief. "But we should keep an eye on her and the others."

"Can't we bind her too?" suggested the right chief. "Nightwolf Newnight, you are already warming up to a Chosen One."

"Calm down please," the left chief smirked. "Even I know the difference between a good one and a bad one."

"Liam Lightrunner," growled the right chief. "Even you? You know what happens to those whom we express mercy..."

"Silence," Nightwolf said in a neutral voice, although Miho could tell that he was annoyed. "Max Monstereater, we know."

 _Wow_ , Miho thought with a sweat on her back. _The Nuroks sure have interesting names..._

"As you can tell," the middle chief boomed, raising his voice for all to hear. "Welcome to our humble abode, if you deserve it."

Some of the girls shivered.

"We are the Three Chiefs of the Nuroks," he continued. "As you know, **I am Chief Nightwolf Newnight. The chief in armor is the Chief Max Monstereater. The chief in loincloth on my right is Chief Liam Lightrunner.** But you do not need to know everything about us. All we know is..."

His normal eyes suddenly narrowed, and the girls felt it.

"We hold you all with a sense of concern and caution," he said. "Last week, we were-"

"Just cut to the point!" Chief Max suddenly blurted out. "These beings of destruction should not EVEN be here! Why do we even let them into the center of our only base?!"

"Stay calm please," Chief Nightwolf growled. "I know what I am doing. I trust our most powerful warriors: **the Redwood Trio**. Lucas, Nighthawk, and Mike all have given their consent to let them come here."

"Even Mike Mankiller?!" Chief Max roared. "Even HE gave in?!"

"Hold your tongue," Chief Nightwolf snarled. "I know how you feel, almost losing some of our members to a Chosen One who lied to us. But she already showed signs of betrayal, so that's why I personally came in and lured her into a trap. We then defeated her, and left her for dead."

"She's in a state worse than death," said Chief Liam. "Hopefully, that's the last we'll hear of her. Although she attempted to murder, she was too...fragile or something to even understand what she did?"

Chief Max just growled, but regained his composure.

 _He sure looks like an angry samurai_ , Miho thought.

"What should we do with them?" asked Chief Liam. "Now that they're in, we safely bound them with our magic. All except Miho are weakened, so that their powers have been halved. And they cannot summon their-"

"You idiots!" Chief Max suddenly roared, although Miho expected it. "This Miho-girl is free to summon her sword!"

"And she's not summoning it still," Chief Nightwolf retorted. "Miho, please tell us why you refuse to run away."

"They...they're my friends," Miho said.

"And why willing to stay?" he asked. "Especially with the tanks?"

Miho breathed, then explained as much as she could.

* * *

 **The Nurok Town**

 **8:00 PM; October 12, 20XX**

"...and that's how we ended up here," Miho finished.

The Nuroks were silent, although Chief Max was mumbling something inaudible.

"Ah," Chief Nightwolf noted. "So, you were from that famous Senshadou Parade. You girls must have had it bad, being separated for so long. Now that you all are unified at least, you are willing to stay by them."

Miho nodded.

"Then it's settled," said Chief Nightwolf. "You mind them staying?"

"I trust that you know what you say," Chief Max mumbled, still grumpy.

"Chosen Ones," said Chief Nightwolf, his voice booming. "We all have already decided even before you all came. After hearing reports from the Redwood Trio, and from numerous others of our kind, we deem that you are safe enough to stay here."

"It's because of our weird binds," Momo whispered, only to be hushed by Yuzu.

"But on three conditions," he continued. The girls listened closely.

 **"One," he declared. "You all must contribute to our community. Although our magic restricts you all, you are still stronger than most of us. You cannot summon your Hands, but you still retain some of your other powers. Two, you all must prove that you are worthy of our trust, by undergoing the Rite of Feathers, which you will know later. And three is something that pertains to Miho."**

All chiefs stared at her.

"You will drive the tanks," he said. "To that cave over there."

He pointed, and Miho looked. It was more of a "dent" on a cliff, but it was big enough to shield the tanks from the rain or other elements.

"There," he continued. "You will keep all five tanks there, and we'll bind them as well. If you desire to be free from our service, you must prove your worth. The Rite of Feathers proves that you are worth our trust; you will be free once we deem you worthy."

"And how long?" Aya suddenly blurted out, causing others to shush her.

"Great question," Chief Nightwolf said, smiling. "Actually, we actually forgot. Miho, since you are the leader, and the only one free to come and go, what is your advice?"

Miho thought for a while, closing her eyes.

"40 days," Miho answered.

The others gawked at her.

"It's settled then," Chief Nightwolf declared. "Brothers and Sisters! In the name of the Great Spirit, let us provide these foreigners with their own houses! Fear not; they are bound. Fear not even Miho, for she has refused to lay a finger on us. She even refused to run away, as you have heard her story. Miho refused to leave or even give up; let her be an example! **These white girls are NOT dangerous!** "

 _White girls?_ Miho and the others thought, puzzled. _We're Japanese!_

"In the name of the Great Spirit!" he roared again. "Let them be a part of our community. Let us shower them with the hospitality of Squanto, but also be ready to fight like Crazy Horse! We are not afraid of the Chosen Ones, for we have defeated them numerous times."

He then pointed, and the girls looked. Not far away was a small cemetery, with strange poles and decorations surrounding it. Most of the girls, including Miho, shivered.

"But if they are a gift from the Great Spirit," Chief Nightwolf continued. "Then we shall accept them, just as the Great Spirit accepted us! Ahooooo!"

"Ahoooo!" the crowd surrounding the girls roared.

"But!" Chief Max roared this time. "We shall exercise caution, for we will NEVER make the same mistake again!"

"Relax," Chief Liam joined in. "Friends, brothers, and sisters. Let us prove that we are gentle yet cunning. It's obvious that they are NOT the type of Chosen Ones sent by..."

His friendly face grew a frown.

"...that disgusting imperialistic syndicate," he growled. " **The New Silicon.** "

Miho and the others gasped.

"Ah," Chief Liam noted. "You girls know them?"

"Not much," Miho admitted. "But they seem...dangerous?"

"You will know more," he replied. "For now, Miho and you all Chosen Ones: please rest for the night. Tomorrow is the beginning of your service under us."

"Wait!" Miho replied. "Why are you so afraid of us?"

"Ah," Chief Liam said, sighing. "20 children and six adults almost got murdered. In the nick of time, we stopped her and hope that she won't come back."

Some of the girls, including Miho gasped. Even Miho felt that...something might happen later.

"Is she?" Miho began, but Chief Nightwolf continued his declaration.

"For now," Chief Nightwolf intervened. "Miho, command your tanks to drive to the cave. Then make yourself at home; plus, show us your belongings and whatnot. Then, you all can rest. Now go."

"For tomorrow is a brave new day," Erwin mumbled, as she and others then were dismissed.

"A brave new world," Miho noted.

* * *

 **Finally done! So, there are three things I want to tell you all:**

 **1) The Nuroks are my own version of the native Americans. They are a combination of multiple native American traditions, and you will notice that tipis never made an actual appearance.**

 **2) The Amerindian Abode (the main body) and Chief Nightwolf's emblem are based on the Native American Church's insignia.**

 **3) On a more serious note, the "20 children and six adults" part is a homage to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, which is why the Nuroks are VERY wary of the Chosen Ones. May the people of Sandy Hook Elementary School have peace and strength to recover and move on; amen.**

 **I hope that this story is worth the reading, and enjoy! Review, like, follow etc. (as usual).**


	9. Chapter 9: Rite and Right

**Greetings from SeekerMeeker.**

 **I decide to stretch the focus on the Nuroks to three chapters, and these three make up the "Nurok Arc."**

* * *

 **I apologize if the "middle" chapter may feel rushed, but I do not want to delay either. Feel free to message me first, especially if it's a problem that requires some talk, then you can review. Feel free to review, though; I appreciate the support through that.**

* * *

 **Thank you for understanding, and let us move on.**

* * *

 **Girls Wild Rise**

 **Chapter 9: Rite and Right**

 **Little Bighorn, New Cal**

 **7:00 AM; October 22, 20XX**

 _So now, we were prisoners..._

 _...or so we thought._

"Commander," whispered Anzu. "Say something."

"Eh..."

Miho hesitated, as a large group of 40 little boys and girls swarmed over her, watching her with big, round eyes that reminded her of Boko.

"Please?" the children asked innocently.

Miho then stretched her neck, giving a silent request to the two guards watching her.

They shrugged.

"OK," she said, whipping out her right hand. The chainsaw sword appeared in a cloud of golden and light magenta light.

"Wow-wow-wow!" the children screamed with delight, touching the sharp teeth.

"Be careful!" Miho warned them, as a few said "ouch" after getting their hands cut. She took a deep breath, and breathed unto the children.

"Thank you," the children said, as their wounds healed.

"Just be careful," she told them, as she raised her sword high enough to prevent any kid from touching it. The flashing of its blade in the sun led to numerous oohs and ahhs from the kids, while a few men and women in the background looked on with amusement, even admiration. Many boys were jumping up, trying to touch her sword.

"It's too dangerous," Miho told them, although her soft voice soothed them, rather than warned them.

"You seem good with children," Anzu remarked, as a few cuddled up to her.

"Eh," Miho hesitated. "Maybe it's because they're good kids?"

Miho and Anzu were both looking after the children, who were more interested in playing with them, rather than actually playing in the playground. Indeed, they were mesmerized by the golden blade whirling above their heads.

Brum-brum-brum-brrrr...

"Ooh!"

"Aah!"

"So cool!"

"So pretty!"

Miho giggled nervously, as this was NOT the case about an hour ago...

* * *

"Freaks!"

"Creeps!"

"Demons!"

"Demons..." Miho pondered, as they stayed away from the duo. Children of all shapes and sizes hid behind the backs of the two guards.

"Why did we choose this?" asked Anzu, lazily chewing on her dried sweet potato. "And I am amazed that kids can wake up this early."

"Children are the most open," Miho remarked. "That's why I tried with them, although they are quite scared."

Miho breathed, then gave a bow towards the children.

"Please forgive us Chosen Ones," she said. "For the bad stuff done by one of us. She was not one of us, but please be good with us. I am sorry."

The children blinked.

"Eh..." Anzu trailed off. "Miho, it's not like you can do the same thing with the tiger before. Sure, you were able to earn the trust of a tiger, but children are a different sort."

Silence filled the atmosphere, broken only by the background of men and women going about their business. Birds chirped distantly in the forests nearby, while poundings and strippings echoed in the farmlands.

Then, one of them gave a few baby steps, then walked cautiously. She was holding a deer doll in her arms, reminding Miho of herself whenever she held her own Boko. Then, the girl went up to Miho.

"You're so big," she remarked.

Miho smiled, and knelt down. She tickled her cheeks.

"Ehehe!" she giggled.

"Man," Anzu said. "You're so nice."

Then, another kid, a boy, cleared his throat and tried to puff his chest out. Both Miho and Anzu giggled, and the boy blushed.

"I-I am strong!" he roared, flexing his chubby biceps. His friends behind roared with laughter, and he joined them as well.

Soon, more and more kids joined, until the two Chosen girls ended up playing with them. They started to play some sort of tug-of-war with girls, leading to Anzu spilling a few pieces of her precious potato.

"My poor yams," she mumbled, as she struggled with the kids climbing onto her.

"Aren't yams and sweet potatoes different?" Miho asked, but the kids started to pull on her, forcing to refocus her attention.

The girls eventually just let them play, and after a while, the kids lost interest and just went and did their own business.

"Must have been hard on them," Miho remarked, as she and Anzu sat down underneath a nearby oak tree. "Whatever it was, they were scared of us."

"But warmed up quite fast," Anzu noted.

"Not scared," said a boy, trying to act tough, as he overheard the two talk.

Miho giggled, causing him to blush in embarrassment.

"You are," said a girl nearby, popping out.

"I-ah-I am not!" he stuttered.

"The kids definitely warmed up to you quite well," said a voice, as a woman appeared. "They heard about horrible tales of Chosen Ones killing us, so they were scared of you. However, I guess that you Miho are quite the nice girl, and they all found you all quite appealing. Plus, they lost all fear once they saw your cool weapons."

Anna Angelrider was the caretaker in charge of the kids. A medium-size woman with robust features, Miho noted that she was definitely the type to have seen her moments of hardships, yet bore them with a strong smile. Miho marveled at the dichotomy of her rough features and her soft personality.

 **"But who are the Chosen Ones?" Miho suddenly asked, more as a rhetorical question. The question left everybody, Anna and the guards, baffled. Even the kids stared at her, dumbfounded.**

 **"Super-powerful girls with demonic powers!" said a kid out loud. She was carrying a rabbit doll in her arms.**

The loud, blunt answer left both Miho and Anzu speechless.

"Vanessa!" Anna hissed. "Mind your manners!"

Miho shook her head, and knelt down, as she and Anzu already heard the term "demon."

"Sorry about that," said Miho. "I hope that you have a better view of us."

It was now Vanessa's turn to be speechless.

"I..." she gasped, but stopped as Miho hugged.

"It's alright," Miho said, patting her.

* * *

"And from that on," Anzu noted. "The kids are so nice to her, and us."

The girls continued to play with them for a while.

"Children," Anna said. "It's time for breakfast."

"Aw..." the kids moaned in complaint.

"Mind your manners," she said. "Miss Miho and Miss Anzu need their own breaks, too."

"Thank you," the two said with a bow, and left while waving at the kids.

"Wait!" a cute voice rang out, as a little girl approached her.

"Hmm?" Miho asked, kneeling down. "What is it, Vanessa?"

"I am..." she said, fidgeting with her hands and feet. "I am...sorry for what I said."

"Thanks," Miho said, as the two smiled and giggled at each other. Vanessa jumped up to hug her.

 **"You sure know how to make friends," Anzu said, as Miho rejoined her.**

 **"Hmm?" Miho asked. "Because they're so nice to us."**

 _Even when she said that...phrase_ , Anzu thought. _But yeah...they can sense that we're not...no, I don't want to think about it. And I don't want Miho to worry again._

She yawned.

"Ah..." Anzu said, glad to have an excuse. "I am going to our shelter; it's the only one that is free for us to visit without asking."

"You're sleeping again?" Miho asked. "Anzu?"

"Yeah, Miho," she replied, yawning again. "I better go; good night-wait, morning."

Miho giggled, as Anzu sauntered back into the longhouse, entering through a door opened by two muscular men.

Miho looked up.

* * *

 **Little Bighorn, New Cal**

 **9:00 AM; October 22, 20XX**

The longhouse was designed to accommodate a large family, but was renovated for her and her group's use. Hence, on the outside, it looked like any other longhouse, specifically that of an Iroquois longhouse. However, it was made with chestnut, walnut, and even oak wood, and the whole walls and roof were covered in what looked like magical patterns, which glowed a variety of blue, red, and yellow colors.

"Apparently," Miho mused. "Those are some of the secret magical patterns that the Nuroks use, in order to weaken us."

The two guards stared at her.

"I know," Miho said with a smile. "I am the only Chosen One here without any binds. I will get in."

Nodding in silence, they opened the wooden doors, and she entered.

In complete contrast to the exterior, which looked like any other longhouse around the town, the interior was full of stuff that the girls had. After the Nuroks inspected their bags, they made themselves at home. Miho could tell who's who...

Despite being "hostages" in a potentially hostile town, the girls quickly adjusted to living in the Nurok territory. Miho learned that the town was the only one of its kind; it was more of a mini-city, even a city-state. The Town of Little Bighorn was quite hospitable; although they rarely talked about it, Miho's sharp ears caught them mentioning about "not having strangers in a while," implying that Little Bighorn had connections with the outside world.

Inside, the teams created their own rooms, separated by walls but no doors, just openings for the girls to go through. Each opening had the team mascot emblem on top of the doorway. When Miho entered, there was another door, which she opened to enter the actual interior of the longhouse. On her left side were the rooms of the Duck and Hippo teams, while on her right were the Turtle and Rabbit teams.

Outside, the longhouse was impressively big. However, the interior seemed even bigger, so that the girls had quite a lot of space. The Duck Team's room was a literal indoor gym; the girls had monkey bars and all kinds of equipment, created using their own magic. One of the walls even was modified into a climbing wall; the tear and wear on the grips implied how hard the girls worked.

Miho giggled nervously.

"Do they even have beds?" she wondered out loud, noticing that the floor only had bags and some other girls' stuff.

Right next to the Duck room was the Hippo room. Unlike the Duck's, the Hippo room was full of...history stuff.

"Is this a museum?" Miho wondered, giggling in response. **"Man, even as Chosen, we are still high school girls after all..."**

Turning to her right, the Turtle room was the plainest, except for the flashy golden walls all around. Anzu was lying on her hammock, swaying serenely while munching on her dried sweet potatoes. Nearby, the food dehydrator was doing its work, drying more sweet potatoes with its whirling noises echoing throughout.

Next to the Turtle room was the Rabbit room. It was the cutest of them all; it was decorated with all kinds of jewelry and even clothing. Apparently, the Rabbit girls got quite an amount of attention from some Nurok men, who found them "quite lovely." Their rooms had a variety of ornaments decorating a wall. On another wall were a set of necklaces, clothing, and even portraits of the girls, all obvious proof that the girls got some attention from men.

"Are they dating?" Miho wondered, as she approached her own room.

The Anglerfish room was right at the end of the hallway, with the Anglerfish emblem shining pink on top of the doorway. She entered, and surveyed around.

Five wooden beds stuck right next to the walls, with two on her left and two on her right. Her own bed was right in front of her, to which she approached.

"It feels weird," Miho admitted, touching the cotton-leather mattress. "Not very comfy, but still enough to help me to sleep quite well."

She giggled, as she remembered that last week, the Nurok women helped to make the mattresses and the blankets. Later, Miho had her girls learn how to make their own clothing. It was...a wild event, as Miho found the girls getting creative with using their magic.

"This is awesome!"

"Hunting as natives!"

"Live like the wild!"

Miho giggled, as she remembered the girls' usual weird antics, which somehow calmed down the Nuroks. Apparently, the Nuroks realized that if they were a real threat, they would never be that...immature.

"Well," Miho shrugged. "Good thing that the Nuroks now trust us much more."

She then approached a tall mirror, one of the few luxuries that they somehow saved from the strange storm, and looked at herself.

 **She and everybody else wore the same clothing as before, except that they changed some features. Everybody decided to go "native" with their own clothing, trying out a variety of clothing. Miho sighed, as she remembered that they argued over clothing, exactly as they did while shopping for swimsuits. At the end of the day, Miho convinced all of them to just keep their original clothing, specifically the uniforms (she had the Hippo girls wear their uniforms, instead of their "cosplay" attire), and modify the dress with some Nurok attire. The plan worked.**

The uniforms' collars have been greatly enlarged, allowing for a variety of lines, circles, diamond shapes, triangles, and other shapes and patterns. These same patterns also adorned the black jackets. The most altered, however, were the skirts; they were twice as long as the original, and adorned with a variety of colors and even pictures of animals. Miho and her team had the Anglerfish adorning the skirt; the same applied for the other teams, with their own mascots on their skirts!

Miho giggled, as the Nurok women remarked cutely on their mascots. Apparently, seeing such "cute" pictures of animals also helped to alleviate the tense mood that defined the Nurok community. The female tailors even created their own take on the animals. For Miho and her team, for example, the skirts were created with extra frills and more splashes of blue colors, giving the impression of oceanic waves. Beneath the waves, the Anglerfish was "swimming" around, opening its bloated lips in a comical fashion, trying to swallow smaller fishes.

 **However, the Nuroks apparently designed hers the most different. Perhaps due to her resisting the mysterious sedative, the Nuroks gilded her uniform with golden and light magenta lines, the same colors as that of her weapon. She was also the only one to have a chest insignia: a sunflower with a golden center and light magenta petals all around; it also had six feathers (in pairs of white, blue, and red) behind the sunflower, arranged like the wings of a seraph.**

"Strange," Miho mused, poking her insignia. "They spent quite a lot of time to make this. I told them not to, but they want to show that I was..."

Miho tilted her head.

" **Special** ," she remembered what they said. "They called me 'special.' I wonder why I am bothered by that?"

She thought for a while.

"Miss Miho!" a voice boomed from the outside.

"Ah!" Miho replied. "Coming, Thunderbreaker!"

Anzu raised her head, then lied down again.

* * *

"I am sorry to interrupt you," said Thomas Thunderbreaker, one of the guards who patrolled the town. "But a few of the Nuroks started to tell me to let you 'watch' over your teammates. They don't want to worry."

"I know," she said, smiling. "I will be right there."

"Thank you," Thomas said, holding out his right hand as if waving.

"Thank you," Miho replied, reciprocating the gesture, as he walked away.

 **"It's amazing," said the guards, as she was about to leave. "That you are making everyone, even us Nuroks, feel comfortable."**

 **"It's because everybody here is amazing," Miho said innocently. "Well then, I better get going and check the others."**

She bounced away, as she strolled along the roads of Little Bighorn. She breathed the fresh air, as she sauntered about.

"Wow," Miho noted. "Since coming here, this place seems surreal..."

She thought as she strolled...

* * *

Little Bighorn was the location of where the girls were. Apparently, it was the capital of the Nuroks, a group of unique native Americans. Miho remembered asking the chiefs and others. From their multiple talks, Miho pieced together in her mind an overall picture of their origins:

 _Since the so-called Fall of California, the zombie outbreak caused great changes within the state of California. Strangely, the outbreak did NOT affect the native Americans. In fact, the native Americans discovered that they could wield magic. Furthermore, they became totally healthy, free from all illnesses. The greatest and strangest thing, however, was that the zombies did NOT attack the natives! Hence, the natives used this to their advantage; multiple safe zones arose, in which the natives were the prime guards, and gained a lot of clout that they never had before. However, once the apocalypse abated, the US government and multiple forces from other nations started to crack down on the natives' abodes, forcing them to migrate to New Cal. Those who succeeded then joined together, and formed the Nuroks._

"That also means," said Miho. "That you Nuroks are not one group, but multiple tribes unified by a common sense of being native, right?"

"You are spot on," said Chief Nightwolf. "Most of us Nuroks have settled together in this town or city-state, or whatever you can call it. We don't bother with calling it 'city' or 'town,' just Little Bighorn."

"Why?" she asked.

"That can wait," he said. "For now, focus on gaining our trust."

* * *

"Gaining their trust..." Miho wondered, as she walked through the settlement.

Being free to move around as she pleased, Miho memorized every nook and cranny of the place. There were numerous buildings, most of them houses and family stores, lining the roads in rows and rows. Children played around freely, passing by porters and other adults minding their own business. A few men were fixing the roofs. Strangely, it felt more like a rustic town than a stereotypical American Indian village.

 **However, there were six buildings that were noteworthy in Little Bighorn.** The Miho walked by the Amerindian Abode, the capital building, which she and her friends saw last week. Its yurt-like appearance was unmistakable; it was the only building built that way, with an upside-down cone and three feather-like projections on top.

She kept walking, passing through hundreds of men and women, minding their own business as usual. However, Miho felt more than a few stares, even glares, as she strolled about. She eventually reached the **House of Matoaka** , the library and the educational center of the Nuroks here.

"We are not allowed here," Miho mused. She then walked away, just as five guards started to surround the entrance to the library.

"Ah!" she noted, as she came upon a bustling place. "The market!"

The **House of Squanto** was the main marketplace of Little Bighorn, with a variety of vendors selling all kinds of goods. Indeed, it reminded Miho of the farmer's markets she saw back in Ooarai.

"Ooarai..." Miho mused in thought, walking into the marketplace. The aroma of all kinds of food struck her. She breathed in.

"Ah..." she sighed in relief, as she got ready to inspect a local vendor's produce.

"Anything you desire?" asked the Nurok woman who was standing by.

"Interesting roots," Miho said, pointing at a group of bundled roots.

"Very powerful roots," the woman remarked. "They-ah! Yes, remember that although you have no money, you can pay with your volunteer service!"

 **"Thanks," Miho said, giggling nervously. She was the 16th person in two weeks to remind her that. Apparently, unlike back in Japan, the Nuroks had a semi-monetary system, where there were two ways to pay: with coins, and with services.**

Miho and all of her teams decided to pay everything with their magic, so that they were able to get goods without using a single coin. It was weird, but the girls soon adapted, and loved it.

"Miss Miho!" a voice snapped her out of her state.

"Yes?" she asked, raising her head to confront a guard. " Henry Hammerfist?"

 **Despite the tensions towards her and her group, the Nuroks eventually warmed up to them, enough to even request Miho for help. Indeed, Miho found herself becoming an "all-rounder," one who helped with a variety of tasks. Her friends, due to their magical binds, were too weak to do much. Even the Duck Team girls, who regularly exercised even in their own room, panted a lot, as the magical binds robbed them of much of their energy.**

"Miss Miho," he told her, panting a little from running. "The chiefs desire to see you at the **Sign of Sacajawea**."

"Hai," she replied, raising her hand for the usual greeting before coming out of the House of Squanto. She then leaped, her single bound flying over the masses of people watching her.

"Wow!" a number of kids oohed and ahhed at her.

"Supergirl!" one of the kids squealed.

 **"I am not super," she whispered with a giggle. "I am just a girl."**

She then leaped two more times, and landed at the sight.

"Ah," said Chief Nightwolf, as Miho landed. "Miss Miho, thank you for coming. The Sign is saying something."

After dusting herself, Miho greeted the three chiefs present, and looked up.

The **Sign of Sacajawea** was one of the very few actual totems in Little Bighorn. To her surprise, they were quite rare; the Nuroks did not seem to value having totems. The few that were there, however, were used more as magical tools, rather than as genuine totems.

"What does it speak?" Miho asked. This was the way the people were expected to talk about the Sign; she learned that one should say "speak" rather than "say," because the Sign is said to be a messenger from the Great Spirit.

"Unfortunately," admitted Chief Nightwolf. "It's hard to interpret it."

"Nightwolf!" Chief Max whispered furiously, although Miho could hear it loud and clear. "Don't tell that out loud!"

"Well," Chief Nightwolf said, shrugging. "It appears to work best with those who are attuned to magic. None of our shamans or users of magic can even interpret it. Let her try."

She blinked.

"Me?" she asked, confused.

"Better now than never," was the curt reply from Chief Nightwolf.

"I...I will try," she replied, giving the greeting before facing the totem.

The Sign of Sacajawea was a sort of warning tower; it gave warnings to the Nuroks. Despite its significance, it looked like a very plain wooden pole, fashioned from a single trunk of a chestnut tree. On top was the face of an eagle, except that it had a pair of claws...and a pair of paws. Miho blinked, as she realized that the animal portrayed was a mixture of an eagle and a lion, sort of like a griffon.

"I am sensing something," Miho said. "But the Sign is not speaking anything of it..."

"Keep focus," said Chief Nightwolf. **"The eagle and the lion ever look, and are patient to see the truth, and seize the truth."**

Miho stared...and stared...and stared.

Minutes passed, and more minutes. Miho sweated greatly, as she felt very uncomfortable.

Birds chirped in the background, while the people were doing about their business. The three chiefs, their guards, and a group of people nearby all stared.

Miho sweated more, and fidgeted.

"Nothing," Chief Max retorted, stomping his feet. "Good thing, because I don't want a Chosen to understand it."

"We have to," said Chief Liam. "The latest voice is the strangest."

Suddenly, the pole glowed white, red, and blue patterns. The eagle's face blazed a golden color, its golden eyes flashing.

"Here it comes!" Chief Nightwolf declared. "Scribes, get ready to write!"

Five scribes spread out their papers, their feather pens ready.

Suddenly, it spoke very rapidly, and stopped after five seconds. Everybody was stunned; even the scribes were baffled.

"What was it speaking?!" said the chiefs.

"It spoke too fast," one of the scribes admitted. "We cannot hear."

"It was!" Chief Max boomed. "Even I could not hear it!"

Miho, however, heard them loud and clear. It was actually in Japanese, and the pole spoke in two haikus:

* * *

 _You shall transform soon_

 _Become greater than you know_

 _Witness the power_

* * *

 _Nuroks shall fall now_

 _Unless they side with them now_

 _They are Viragos_

* * *

Miho blinked, sweating a little.

"What does it speak?" asked Chief Nightwolf.

Miho sighed, and told them the whole thing.

"It was speaking in my native tongue," Miho said. "And it spoke in two poems."

"Hmm..." Chief Nightwolf mused, thinking.

"What do they mean?" asked Chief Max.

"It's obvious," said Chief Liam. "The first poem refers to us Nuroks. We will become "greater" than we ever know."

Miho did not answer, as the interpretation had some truth to it, although she was not sure.

"But the last part?" asked Chief Max. "And who are the Viragos?"

"Virago is Latin for 'heroine,'" said a familiar voice, limping in a drowsy manner.

"Mako-san!" Miho said, running towards her. Due to the bind, Mako regained her drowsy nature, swaying back and forth in a zombie-like stupor, while two guards, with very annoyed faces, stood by.

"Painful," she groaned. "Life is painful."

"This girl is lazy," one of the guards blurted out. "We had to drag her all the way here!"

"The binds," Mako lazily replied, yawning. "They make me...sleepy."

"She's right," Chief Liam said. "Our restraints have a weakening effect on the Chosen Ones. But that aside, the words of the Sign speak of transformation of us, and the source of our salvation. Whoever the Viragos are, they are the ones who will save us from certain death."

"But who exactly are they?" asked Chief Nightwolf. "I am pretty sure that they are not Chosen Ones. Hmm..."

"Guess we have to find only one way out," said Chief Max. "Miss Miho, please leave."

"Thank you," Miho replied with a bow, and left as the men started to have the usual argument. She was glad to leave, since they kept talking about the Chosen Ones a lot.

She then sauntered away into a major part of the city-state: the **Field of Geronimo**. It was technically a training field for the **Braves**. Miho recalled that the Braves were the Nurok term for warriors, those who hunted in peacetimes, and fought in wartimes. In reality, almost all Nuroks who passed the Rite of Feathers were technically Braves.

Nearby, she noticed the **Tower of Sitting Bull** , another totem. However, unlike the Sign, this totem was an actual magical defense tower. Its eagle head kept rotating around, much like a military turret that she saw in video games.

"Odd," Miho mused.

"Mom!" said a boy nearby. "Why do those strangers drive tanks?"

Miho blinked, but decided to study the statue more closely, although her ears still heard loud and clear.

"They are part of a sport called Senshadou," she explained.

"But why only girls?" he asked. "And why those type of primitive tanks? They're so silly compared to the modern-day ones."

"Shush, my dear," his mother said. "That's not for us to answer, but maybe the truth will be known."

 **"Truth..." Miho pondered.**

The tower-like totem stopped moving, and Miho went away.

She came upon the Hippo Team. All four girls were working on looms, alongside the Nurok tailors. They were working very diligently.

"Leather is quite tough!" Erwin noted, wiping away her sweat with her hat.

"You wear hat?" asked a woman nearby. "Even while working?"

"I love my hat," she replied.

The woman just shrugged, and minded her own business.

Nuroks apparently used both leather and cotton in their clothing; the cotton provided comfort, while the leather provided much of their protection. Somehow, the Nuroks were able to craft both together in unusual harmony. Even though she had virtually no experience, Miho knew that it was only due to magic that the Nuroks could craft such fine attire. They also put paint on their bodies.

Next to the looms, other girls were working on adding colors to the clothing. She marveled at how they weaved in colors of all kinds like rivers flowing through a land. She moved on, and found herself at the House of Squanto.

"Got more meat!" roared Noriko, as she and her team marched, their quarry on their backs. A group of hunters went with them.

Normally, the men did much of the hunting, but due to their physical fitness, the Duck Team tagged along, and ended up getting the lion's share of the hunt. The men were quite grateful for the extra hands, as they came with loads of deer and antelopes.

Strangest of all, however, was Akebi. She carried none of the animals, because...she was carrying 11 baskets of food.

"What should we do with these?" asked Akebi, as she showed Miho her strange cargo.

"They seem to like you," Miho said.

Apparently, the Nuroks had an interesting way of dating: instead of "love letters," they sent baskets of food. Akebi drew quite some attention.

Suddenly, Miho felt a poke behind her back, and she turned around fast.

"Oh," she remarked. "Peter Pulverizer."

He made a sign of silence, so Miho sneaked away for a private talk.

"Peter Pulverizer," she whispered. "Are you..."

He nodded with a smile."

"You see that Akebi girl?" he asked. "Although we like to say that we do not like white girls, they sure are among the most beautiful people in the world."

Miho felt a sweat down her back, and tried to object that she and her friends were NOT whites, but Japanese.

"Ah..." she began. "We're not-"

"Miss Miho!" another guard shouted, running at her. He panted, a basket of food in hand.

"What is it?" she asked.

"What food does Miss Akebi like?" he asked. "We Nuroks have a custom of giving food to girls whom we favor. But I want to give her something that she likes!"

"Ehehehe..." she giggled nervously.

Both men were watching her, with eyes full of hope, almost begging.

"She actually likes steak," Miho blurted out.

Suddenly, both guards were gone in a flash.

"OK..." she giggled again.

Indeed, Nurok men were quite interesting. Now that she thought about it, she went over to a dining area, the round oak tables surrounded by people eating. All six girls of the Rabbit Team walked briskly back and forth, serving orders. They apparently boosted the sales.

"Ayumi dear!" one of the men called out. "One sumacade!"

"Got it!" she answered, rushing to the vendor. She brought out the interesting drink, and gave it to him. He then winked, and drank.

"Sumacade," Miho noted.

One of the Nuroks' specialties, the sumacade was also known as the "Indian lemonade," because it used the sumac berries, which imparted a lemon-like flavor.

"Sumacade please!"

"More here!"

Miho giggled, as the Nurok men seemed to enjoy getting served by the girls.

"At least there are women nearby to watch," Miho sighed, staring up at the sky.

"Wanna drink?"

Miho blinked, as a Nurok man held out the drink.

"Thank you," she replied, taking it with a curtsy.

She drank it.

It was euphoria.

* * *

 **Little Bighorn, New Cal**

 **9:00 AM; October 29, 20XX**

It has been a few weeks, but eventually, the Nuroks warmed up to the girls enough.

"Finally," Miho sighed in relief, as the guards opened the doors to the House of Matoaka. She entered, and blinked.

The interior looked like a stereotypical, old-fashioned, European-style library. Rows after rows of wooden shelves lined the interior, with a single desk in the middle. The librarian was scrolling through texts after texts, too focused to even look up.

Miho noticed the Rabbit Team and Saori, reading kids' books to children. Miho noted that the reading culture of the Nuroks was both...strange yet inspiring.

"Never knew that Nuroks have their own library," Miho whispered, perusing the library's shelves. "Let's see...ah!"

She took out a book, which she recognized from another Nurok reading it:

 _Food is the Gift of the Great Spirit: The Guide to Knowing the Ultimate Nurok_

"Food is the Gift of the Great Spirit," Miho read the title. The old leather-bound book had multiple fingerprints on it, testifying to its heavy use. Although Miho wanted to dust it off, she felt that it was better to just leave them alone. Going to a nearby blanket and kneeling down, she opened it:

Long story short, it was a book about the types of food that the Nuroks valued. As expected of native Americans, the Nuroks valued maize, beans, and squashes, which they grew in huge fields (known affably as the "Three Sisters"). They also grew sunflowers and chili peppers; the Nuroks here really loved to make their food both oily and spicy, especially as a feast.

Miho giggled, as she and others remembered their first impressions.

"Fried and hot," Miho remarked, as she remembered how everybody loved the fried flavor, only to be "destroyed" by the intense heat. The Nuroks' chili peppers were incredibly hot; she recalled that even Hana was "stunned" by the heat.

 _"Hot-hot-HOTTT!" screamed Karina, drenching herself in water from a bucket. She essentially summarized most girls' reactions._

 _"I drank the Habanero drinks back in our ship's basement," said Hana. "But the drink contest...was bad. This one is nothing like that."_

 _The Nuroks sure laughed a lot, as they noted that even Chosen Ones were "vulnerable" to spicy foods._

"Like some?" said a female vendor.

Instead of setting shop at the House of Squanto, some women decided to set shop right next to their houses; Miho noted that this was a way the women both made an income, plus it allowed the women to do something while bored.

"Manoomin with salmon and Four-Herb please, Miss Emma Eggraptor," Miho replied. She summoned her sword, and tapped on the woman's stall. The rotting wood rapidly regenerated from a sickly gray color, to a bright, oak luster.

"Thank you so much," the woman replied, scooping out the food. The sweet aroma mesmerized Miho, as Emma drizzled the plate with a unique type of sugary syrup. Most Americans knew of this as maple syrup, but most Japanese, including Miho, were unfamiliar with it. However, its sweetness was worth the wait.

"Thank you!" Miho reciprocated, bowing down before moving on. She ate a little, then gradually wolfed down the food (with chopsticks, which she had in her private bag). Manoomin was the Nuroks' term for a weird type of rice, which Mako recognized as a type of wild rice, distantly related to the actual rice. Salmon was from the sabertooth salmon, which reminded Miho of the fish that she saved.

"I wonder what happened to it?" she wondered, as she picked up the Four-Herb. The Four-Herb was apparently integral to the Nuroks, because the four ingredients it made up were incredibly nutritious, and they were particularly potent and beneficial to Miho and her friends.

"Camas root, American ginseng, American groundnut, and yampah," Miho noted. "The Nuroks explained me about these. I only recognize the ginseng. I don't remember which ones were powerful, but all of them gave me a lot of energy-"

"Who told you to eat that?"

Miho turned around.

"Emma Eggraptor," she replied, sweating as she encountered Chief Max.

"She should be wary of you," he retorted, growling. "I see that you have gotten stronger and stronger, especially now that you know about the Four-Herb. I warned others, but they warmed up to you quite fast..."

He turned around, walked a few steps, then turned around, his face snarling.

"...if you do anything else," he hissed. "My knife shall be in your heart."

Miho sweated, but let him walk away.

"Sorry about that," Emma said, secretly putting more Four-Herb and salmon into Miho's plate.

"Oh! Thank you," Miho replied, as she wolfed down the rest.

"Miporin!"

"Miho-san!"

"Nishizumi-dono!"

"Miho, it's farm time."

"Coming!" she answered, giving back the plate to Emma, before rushing to her friends.

* * *

 **Farmlands nearby Little Bighorn**

 **5:00 PM; November 5, 20XX**

Farming time was quite a chore, but the girls at least got food and shelter in return, after working for eight hours straight.

"How long are we farming?" moaned Saori. "We've been doing this dirty, hard work since last week! And it's now November!"

"At least it's better than dead," Miho replied, causing Saori to deflate.

Since last week, the girls were mostly in charge of helping with the farmlands. Indeed, the Nuroks believed that it was a sign from the Great Spirit, because the harvest time was unusually abundant. Although most Nuroks celebrated, the chiefs and shamans feared that a famine would be coming.

"Miss Saori!" roared a few men. "Your food dryers!"

"Coming!" she groaned, limping towards the group. Since discovering the nature of the food dehydrators, the Nuroks had some of the girls make more of them, especially Anzu, Yuzu, Mako, and Saori (Saori deliberately wandered away just to have some moment's calm). Under the order of the chiefs and the shamans, the girls worked frantically to keep the dehydrators working, as ten machines roared with energy, drying out thousands of food scraps inside. Nearby, women packed the dried food into bags, which the men carried back to the nearby granaries.

Unlike before, the girls found their binds slightly weakened, so that they were able to use their powers a little more (in order to work on the fields more efficiently). Miho directed her teammates, as they all worked to harvest as much food as possible. They found the farming easier than expected, although all except Miho still suffered from the weakening effects of the binds.

Still, the one thing that they enjoyed was eating the food while harvesting; the Nuroks believed in "trying out food" before harvesting it.

"Nice feast!" Noriko mumbled through her mouth full of blueberries.

However, the girls ended up helping out with the harder crops, some of them incredibly hard to harvest. Wild blueberries and black raspberries, American chestnut trees, and black walnuts were especially difficult; the blueberries required careful picking, while the chestnuts and black walnuts had hard shells that were not easy to crack open.

Nearby, the chiefs continued to argue.

"Can we trust them?" one of them debated.

"Let us trust," another said.

Miho could barely tell who was saying who; she assumed that it was Chief Max, who had never trusted them in the first place. However, the arguments seemed to flare from all three. Unbeknownst to the chiefs, Miho was taking mental notes:

While playing with her sword, Miho found out that her sword had tiny compartments, sort of like "pockets." She secretly put black raspberries, which looked like blackberries but with hollow centers like raspberries. From eating them and other berries, Miho noted that the black raspberries seemed to have the strongest effect on her and her friends. She wondered why.

"All I know," Mako said, while swaying back and forth. "Is that black raspberries have a very high antioxidant levels, higher than blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and most other berries."

"What does that have to do with black raspberries?" hissed Saori, as she secretly gathered up the special berries, putting them into Miho's weapon. "And Miporin, how did you find out?"

 **"I was trying to find out the limits of magic," Miho replied, eating a few black raspberries. Normally, she did not like blackberries or raspberries, because of their tart flavor. Black raspberries, strangely, tasted sweeter than its "normal" cousins.**

 **"And you just found out," Mako concluded. "Hmm, now that you point out. we haven't figured out what magic really IS, yet."**

"Chosen Ones!" the chiefs' voices boomed.

The girls all got up in response, with Miho closing the secret pockets inside of her sword.

"You are free to go," said Chief Nightwolf. "Better get your persimmons."

"Thank you!" the girls roared in gratitude, as they all ran to an orchard of trees. American persimmons looked like round, cherry tomatoes, but blackish with orange interior. Since they tasted like persimmons back home, all of the Ooarai girls took every opportunity to "feel" Japanese.

"Yum!" Saori roared in approval, chewing on a sizable fruit. "Man! After seeing so many strange foods, something familiar is worth it!"

Miho, however, secretly popped a single black raspberry into her mouth. If Mako was right, then the antioxidant level seemed to have a "magical" effect on the girls.

 **"Hmm," she wondered. "Does nutrition affect magic? If so, how and why? And what does this have to do with tanks?"**

"Tanks..." she mumbled.

She looked up. Although she could not see it, she knew that somewhere nearby, the tanks were still stuck inside a cave-like depression, guarded by Nurok guards with a variety of weapons.

Miho shook her head.

"No," Miho said to herself. "Maybe I am overthinking it."

"Miporin?"

"Ah, sorry," Miho said with a smile. "Saori-chan, need anything?"

"You care a lot, don't you?" she asked, smiling back.

"Thanks," Miho replied, as she and others followed the Nurok farmers back to Little Bighorn.

* * *

 **Little Bighorn's Field of Geronimo**

 **7:00 AM; November 12, 20XX**

"Geronimo at last!" Erwin declared, then winced as her binds suddenly tightened.

"Careful," the Nurok trainer said.

After about a week, the Nuroks trusted the girls enough to train them. Miho personally asked for it before, but the chiefs were hesitant.

 _"But since you asked," Chief Nightwolf said. "We'll wait and see."_

"Good thing that we did enough good for them," said Hana, as she and others started to pick up the weapons given: bows and arrows, spears, and knives.

"Ready?" asked the Nurok trainer...

* * *

"Augh," the girls moaned. All except Miho were on the ground, exhausted from both fighting and struggling with the magical binds.

"Sorry about the binds," said the trainer. "The binds perceive you all as resisting, so they are hard on you."

"Can't we fight without them?!" Momo roared, only to wince when her ropes started to tighten.

The trainer shrugged.

"Ask the chiefs," was all he said, before a group of farmers came, and the girls limped towards the farms.

Once again, it was another farming...carrying goods...farming...farming...

"Can we do something other than farming?!" Momo roared.

"Hold your tongue," one of the women said, shrugging. "The chiefs all work together for a compromise."

"It's obvious," said Anzu, as she pulled up a whole plant full of sweet potatoes. "That Chief Liam and Chief Nightwolf like us. We have done nothing wrong, and most other Nuroks are quite accepting."

"Except for Chief Max," noted Oryou, which others agreed completely.

"Yes," one of the guards said, overhearing the conversation. "But for now, just work. At least you all have a little more freedom now."

"Wonder where they are..." wondered Miho, as she helped her team pull more crops.

* * *

"I think they are ready," said Chief Nightwolf.

Inside the Amerindian Abode, the golden-brown interior radiated all around, illuminated by a single fire in the middle. The three chiefs were alone, sitting in the lowest steps. The steps went all around like a miniature amphitheater, with a golden hue tainted by footsteps of many Nuroks within last week.

"You sure?" asked Chief Liam. "Well, at least the previous meeting with our 50 best men and women resulted in the overwhelming result."

"That the girls are good to stay," growled Chief Max. "Bad move."

"Cheer up!" Chief Liam said. "At least they intend to move on."

"Don't even trust them ever!" shouted Chief Max. "Even if they prove it, they will NEVER undergo the Rites, and they will NEVER be good with us!"

"Why?" asked Chief Liam.

"Look at them whispering things and such!" said Chief Max. "Plus, I notice that Miho-girl doing something with her sword, putting something in it!"

Chief Nightwolf rolled his eyes.

 **"We all hide secrets," he replied. "The issue is not what you keep; it's what you do ONCE the secret is out."**

"Hey," Chief Liam said. "If they do something in secret, our Nurok secret spies have always watched them. Even the women and kids no longer look at them."

"Women and kids are too trusting," Chief Max retorted.

"But let's get to the point," said Chief Nightwolf, clearing his throat. The fire flickered in the darkness; although the outside was bright and shining, the inside held an ominous air.

"47 out of our 50 best people," said Chief Nightwolf. "Have voted not only that the girls can stay if they want, but also should undergo the Rite of Feathers."

"The Rite of Feathers," said Chief Liam, having a serious face, stroking his small beard. "Most of us pass it, but it's no easy feat. Recently, we've been discussing on changing it, especially after a few of our Braves were able to defeat the New Silicon's forces. We thought that only those who undergo it can develop the power necessary to defeat the New Silicon's Iron Giants. However, the few who failed the Rite still fought them off well."

"But we all cherish it!" Chief Max declared. "Plus, it has a VERY low rate of success with foreigners, for obvious reasons!"

"The few who did before," said Chief Nightwolf. "Are obviously allies with us, except that being Chosen somehow can disrupt the whole Rite."

"And we almost lost our 20 children and six Braves as a result," Chief Liam sadly noted. "What are we going to?"

"Compromise as usual!" retorted Chief Max. "You know what we all already know!"

Chief Nightwolf sighed.

"We'll have to see," he said. "But I guess the meeting is over, since we already have the answer...yesterday...Why even meet?"

"Just to have some private time to chit-chat," Chief Liam replied, shaking his head as he went out. "I don't think the girls will like it..."

* * *

 **The girl's private house in Little Bighorn**

 **9:00 PM; November 19, 20XX**

"Finally!" the girls all roared, as they had an early celebration.

Miho, Anzu, Caesar, Noriko, and Azusa all sat together in a circle, while their teammates were doing their own business. Saori was making some clothing and checking out accessories with the rest of the Rabbit Team, while Hana was trying to break up an "argument" between Yuzu and Momo. Mako was napping, while the Hippo girls were pretending to embalm her ("I have no idea why we went for mummification," admitted Caesar). The Duck Team girls were doing their training, lifting up a variety of dumbbells, with Yukari participating.

"We can leave this place for once!" Anzu said, reclining.

"But the people are amazing," Caesar noted, nodding. "But we should leave still."

"We are ready to go!" said Noriko, flexing with her already-packed bag.

"I am so glad that everything went well," Azusa said. "Miho-senpai, what about our tanks?"

"They obviously will let us have the tanks," Miho said. "Once we are ready to leave."

"I hope that we can finally the others," said Azusa. "Mallard, Anteater, Leopon, even the other schools..."

"Cheer up," Miho said. "We will definitely get out and be free."

* * *

 **Little Bighorn, at the court of the Amerindian Abode**

 **7:00 AM; November 21, 20XX**

"You all are here to stay," Chief Nightwolf said sadly.

The girls were stunned.

"What?!"

All 22 girls of the first five teams of the Ooarai Senshadou Club stared, gawking in horror at the revelation. They were all standing in front of the Amerindian Abode, the same place as when they first met the three chiefs. All of them were talking and whispering to each other in excitement, while Miho was also ready for the release.

Then, it was all shattered.

Chief Nightwolf sighed.

"I am sorry that this is so sudden," he explained. "But I intended to tell you all ahead of time, but we negotiated, argued, and argued...again and again. Finally, just yesterday, we all three agreed to a compromise."

"A compromise just now?!" Momo roared. "We-we-"

"Please hold your tongue," Miho said calmly, and Momo quieted down instantly.

"Why didn't you tell us this?" asked Miho.

She looked up straight at the chiefs, eyes not filled with hate. No, they were full of pity and broken hope.

Chief Nightwolf sighed again, as the other two chiefs looked on.

"As you can see," said Chief Nightwolf. "In order to get an agreement across 100%, all three of us must agree on it. If even one does not agree, we compromise until we get one."

"And that compromise?!" Momo roared again.

He sighed.

"Do you know why we have three chiefs?" he asked.

The girls shook their heads in silence; most were too shocked to answer verbally.

I am Chief Nightwolf," he explained. "I am the chief in charge of keeping watch over the domestic affairs. Chief Liam is in charge of agriculture, although he rarely admits it. Chief Max, however..."

He made a silent gesture, allowing him to speak. Chief Max cleared his throat.

"Ahem!" he declared. "I am in charge of protection, both aggressive and defensive. I lead armies, and I protect the homes here."

The girls gasped.

"But," Miho stammered. "I...I never knew."

"We all also have roles in all three," Chief Nightwolf explained, sighing again. "Unfortunately, you may not know this, but the Sign of Sacajawea has spoken."

The girls stood tense.

"About two days ago," said Chief Nightwolf. "The Sign has foretold our enemies, the New Silicon. Once again, our spies from miles and miles away have already sent the signals. They already have disrupted our livelihoods enough."

"Wait a minute," Miho said, raising her right hand.

"Yes?" Chief Nightwolf asked.

"Is that why..." Miho considered her words carefully. "Now that I see it, your people do not seem to have any livestock."

He nodded grimly.

"The New Silicon," he explained. "Contaminated our homeland with a mysterious disease of a viral origin. It destroyed our animals, so that we are left to be who we are now."

"That's why," Erwin interjected. "That you all have no animals here. Just like..."

He trailed off, casting her eyes down.

"Mr. Chiefs," Caesar said, raising her hand to help. "My friend Erwin was saying that this reminded her of the white settlers killing off bison centuries ago."

"You are spot on," Chief Nightwolf said. He turned to face Chief Max.

"See?" he asked him. "The girls know their history. They are not really threats."

"The verdict still stands," Chief Max grunted.

Chief Nightwolf sighed, and snapped his right fingers.

"Augh!"

The magical binds suddenly tightened. Most of the time, the binds looked like ordinary ropes of a fibrous nature. This time, however, the ropes mutated, and turned into what looked like wire ropes, metallic and glittering steel-gray in the rising sun.

"Friends!" Miho cried out.

"Oh..." they all moaned in unison, falling down unto the ground. Eventually, all of them sat properly or knelt.

"And," Chief Nightwolf said, making strange gestures with his hands. A strand of wire ropes, this time with what looked like steel thorns, appeared like a snake unto his outstretched hands.

Miho noticed this, and the revelation dawned on her.

She sighed, and held out her hands.

"What?!" her friends roared in shock.

"Well," Miho said, trying to smile back to her friends. "Guess we're all actually prisoners."

"I am sorry to say," Chief Nightwolf said, as he cuffed Miho.

She winced, as the thorns wrapped around her wrists. They felt like as if they were tearing into her very head.

"OK," Miho said, after a few seconds of tense pain. "So, this is it; we're prisoners until you defeat the New Silicon."

"That's right," Chief Nightwolf said. "Even though we promised you all freedom once 40 days were over, the New Silicon is going to come after us."

"But...why-why can't we help you?" Azusa managed to speak up, despite the intense pain of her binds.

"Like I said before," Chief Nightwolf said with another sigh. "We've been attacked by the Chosen Ones, and Chief Max is adamant in his conviction of keeping you all safe."

"Until then," Chief Max said, approaching Miho. "Shut up or be gone!"

"Max Monstereater," Chief Nightwolf growled. "Please leave them be. They are bound already."

"They're now all prisoners," Chief Nightwolf said. "Our law dictates that they are no longer free!"

"But we agreed that they be treated with respect," Chief Liam said with a stern voice. Of the three, he was the quietest; he appeared the saddest.

"Respect for what?" Chief Max retorted.

He then took out a knife and-

Wham!

"Ugh!" Miho shrieked.

A single stab struck into her left hip. Although the knife did not strike any major organ, the pain was unbearable. Gasping for breath, Miho knelt down, panting with effort.

"Chief Max Monstereater!" Chief Nightwolf roared. "We agreed to strengthening the binds, not on torturing out guests!"

"They're prisoners!" Chief Max retorted. "Not guests!"

"Didn't you agree with us for once?!" Chief Liam roared. This time, he took out his own knife, pointing it at Chief Max.

"Respect them!" Chief Nightwolf growled, crossing his arms. "They did not harm any of our women or even children! And here you are; this is what you reward them for their kindness?!"

"Like I said!" Chief Max growled. "They're prisoners, not guests! And they are a threat!"

"A threat to us?!" Chief Liam snarled. "Or a threat to your wild imagination, you illusory lunatic!"

Chief Max hissed at Chief Liam, raising his bloodstained knife.

"Ouch..." Miho winced, still kneeling. A few Nurok women immediately rushed to her aid.

"Four-Herbs please," she moaned weakly.

"Here you go," one of the women said, taking out her "first-aid" basket.

"Stop treating the prisoners," Chief Liam growled, raising his knife at the women.

"And stop with your delusions," the first-aid woman grunted, putting the herbs into Miho's mouth. She deliberately chewed, and sighed in relief as the wounds started to heal. Apparently, one unique attribute that she and her friends learned about being Chosen was integral: they can heal wounds faster by eating some powerful herbs.

"Like in video games," Saori moaned.

"You still like games?" Mako muttered.

"Only real ones," she replied weakly.

"And keep your promises, for crying out loud!" Chief Liam said, his teeth grinding.

"Only if they do not break free," Chief Max retorted.

"We did not agree to that!" the other two chiefs shouted, only to be restrained by two guards.

"Alright!" Chief Nightwolf said, as the two guards let go. "You win this time! But next time, don't go military rule on us! We are not white people; we are Nuroks!"

Chief Max rolled his eyes, then directed his attention to the girls.

"Guards!" he barked orders. "Have the Chosen Ones be led to our underground prison. Once we win the fight, we can resume our usual lives."

"And then," Chief Nightwolf growled, as his loyal guards started to approach Chief Max. "We can have a proper talk. Guards, leave him alone."

The pro-Nightwolf guards growled, but obeyed.

"And Chief Max," Chief Nightwolf growled. "Remember an old saying from even the Bible: ' **Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city**.'"

" **Proverbs 16:32** ," Chief Max snarled, spitting. "Down with the white man's scripture! We are Nuroks, not whites! We fight for freedom; we will be patient no more!"

"And we are not savage either," Chief Liam hissed.

Chief Nightwolf frowned in agreement, and turned to look at the girls.

"I am sorry girls," he said with a sigh. "But you are free no more, for now."

Miho stood still, but her eyes...

"Huh?" one of the Nuroks asked, feeling something. "Is it raining?"

They looked up. A few ominous clouds obscured parts of the azure sky, an ugly blemish on the world above. Even the sun shone weakly, shielded by one of the dark clouds.

"It's raining," Miho said. Despite her calm face, tears started to drip down. "God, please help us."

* * *

 **12 hours after the shocking event...**

 **A secret base miles away...**

 **7:30 AM; November 21, 20XX**

"Mr. Umbrella."

"Yes?"

"The Altar of Empowerment is ready."

"Good."

"Sir."

"Yes?"

Mr. Umbrella looked up from his white, sleek desk. All around him, the whole interior of the office was pure white, with sleek designs all around. Shelves, chairs, and even the desks looked almost like advanced laptops. Indeed, the whole interior was of a futuristic office design.

"What is it?" his boss asked. "Moses Cohen?"

Moses Cohen, a young man in his 20's, sighed.

"Is this the right thing to do?" he asked.

"Of course," Mr. Umbrella replied. "For weeks and months on end, those savages have been hindering our efforts. All we wanted was their Artifact, but they're hiding it."

"And this altar-thing," Moses said. "Is the way to finally defeat them, right?"

"Right," he said.

Moses sighed.

"Ready?" he asked.

"I am good," Mr. Umbrella said. "Now go."

Nodding, Moses then walked towards what looked like a revolving door. A moving camera above, however, sensed him, and the doors opened up. He stepped inside.

"What would you like?" a face of a beautiful European lady appeared, as the doors closed behind and he looked.

"Go to the Altar of Empowerment," he barked the order.

The image instantly disappeared, and the chamber went down. It was really an elevator, but designed so that it went through a tube-like structure like the hyperloop in the US, which was under construction.

"And a few of the engineers," he said to himself. "Sure did a great job at incorporating some hyperloop into this."

However, the elevator did not move down or even up; it traveled like a train, going up and down through some chambers within the base. Eventually, the capsule went down into a security chamber.

"Password," a face of a general with military goggles commanded. His tone was harsh and stern, unlike the lady from before.

"Die Glocke," Moses replied.

The face disappeared, and the elevator went down. This time, it really went down, like an actual elevator.

The doors opened, and he stepped out.

The level was the interior of a massive cave. Above, a light came down faintly from a hole. Below, hundreds of men and women, soldier and scientist alike, worked frantically. In the center of the cave-like interior, stood what looked like a cubic altar. However, it had obsidian and marble-like layers all around.

He sighed, then cleared his throat.

"New Silicon!" Moses roared, his voice booming throughout.

All of the people around stopped, and looked up.

"It is time," he declared. "Activate the altar."

"On it!" they responded swiftly. Next to the altar, a capsule trailer of sort, its silver color glittering, opened up, and a robotic arm, resembling the type used by American space shuttles, appeared. It held something in its black claws:

Some kind of a rainbow crystal.

"Three!" a mechanical voice boomed.

 _"And why are we attacking the Nuroks?"_ Moses recalled asking days ago.

 _"We need that Artifact,"_ Mr. Umbrella's voice boomed inside of his head. _"The Nuroks have refused. They have already killed a number of our Chosen mercenaries, which are few still. We need to do this._

 _"But is this even right?"_ Moses' own voice echoed inside. _"Making the Chosen stronger, but without their permission?"_

"Two."

" _There is no such thing as permission, consent, or even freedom_ ," Mr. Umbrella's voice echoed. _"Only power and who has it. In fact, freedom and equality both are a type of power."_

"One."

"And it's all about power."

The arm dropped the crystal, which fell on top of the altar. Suddenly, the crystal-like solid shattered, and all fragments suddenly disappeared in a cloud of rainbow dust.

Nothing happened for a few seconds.

Then, the altar changed color. The black-and-white stripes disappeared, and the altar became light magenta in color. The top suddenly opened, and a pillar of white light burst out. Two ribbon-like lights, one blue and one red, twisted around the white pillar like DNA strands. Moments after this, a nova of light magenta energy burst out from the altar, and it vaporized.

"A new age has a begun," said Moses. "For the Chosen Ones are Chosen no more; they are beyond Chosen."

* * *

 **Welcome to a new world, Chosen Ones.**

 **Well, that went well.**

 **Now, feel free to review, but I hope that this story will take off for better.**

 **As usual, like and follow, and please support this growing story of mine!**

 **And may the girls be well! Panzer vor!**


	10. Chapter 10: Of Savior and Savage

**Greetings from SeekerMeeker.**

 **Finally, this is the last chapter of the "Nurok arc"! To be honest, I am glad to finish this, since I want to get into some of our fan-favorite school ship factions. Furthermore, due to the previous chapter, I had a serious writer's block.**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I hope that this delay did not hinder any interest in my story. If I did, pleas** **e review and/or PM me for helpful advice.**

* * *

 **Now, let us continue the journey...**

* * *

 **Girls Wild Rise**

 **Chapter 10: Of Savior and Savage**

 **Little Bighorn, New Cal**

 **Inside the underground prison, before the strange blast...**

 **7:00 AM; November 21, 20XX**

Miho said nothing, not even yawn, as she slowly got up.

She winced, as her spiked binds dug deep into her soft, perfect skin.

"Miho..." multiple voices moaned.

She tried to smile, but the pain was unbearable.

"I am fine," she reassured weakly. "Hopefully."

Miho slowly got up, trying her best to minimize the pain. She remembered seeing pictures of prisoners back home; there, prisoners at least had free hands inside of their cells.

Here, they were bound even in their own...cells. Once she got up, she looked around.

Despite the wooden walls and the bamboo poles as bars, the ground's earthy aroma betrayed the prison's true nature: underground. Damp and a little moist, Miho sniffed the air, and coughed.

"Hard to breath," Miho noted.

She coughed again.

"Oh..." she moaned a little, but shook her head.

"I have to stay strong," she said to herself. "Gotta go."

She limped slowly towards a small hole, the only window to the other girls.

"Are you alright?" asked Miho. Although she could walk, the spiked legcuffs dug deep into her ankles, causing her to wince with every step.

To make matters worse...

"They put you by yourself!" Saori managed to blurt out. "I can't believe that-augh!"

She coughed, but she was right. Miho not only had spiked cuffs, but also was in her own cell, separated from all of her friends by a solid, clay-like wall, with timber planks that appeared to be magically enchanted, as Miho noticed tiny veins of bright energy flowing through the wood. The only opening, a tiny window, too small to fit her head through, was the only way to communicate. Miho held her face to the window.

Immediately, all of her 21 friends rose up, encouraged by her appearance.

"Ouch!"

"Oh..."

"Not a good sleep."

"No showers!"

"Ugh..."

Amid the earthy atmosphere, all 21 girls crowded to the lone window, gazing Miho, the only sense of hope they had.

"Miporin!" Saori cried. "Are you alright?"

"I am fine," Miho replied, coughing. "Hopefully."

"Miho-san," Hana whispered, sniffing. "I cannot say..."

"Ni-Nishizumi-dono..." Yukari bawled. "A-are-yu-you..."

Her face disappeared, as the sobbing continued.

"Nishizumi-san," Mako said, staring. Her eyes were full of conflicting feelings, of both hope and despair.

Miho smiled to the best of her abilities.

"I hope you all slept well," Miho said, although she knew that they could not.

The girls behind the window wept, some bawling out loud.

"Don't die on us!" Yuuki yelled.

"And I-I augh!" Momo screamed, crying in the background.

"Hopefully I won't," Miho replied.

 _Knock-knock._

All of them switched their focus, and Miho turned away from the window to stare out at the guard.

A mature man with long, black braids stared at her, bow in hand. He stared at her, and she stared back.

The two stared like this for a while, but while her eyes were focused on him, Miho was thinking rapidly:

Without anything to do, Miho passed the time to think about everything that she saw and learned about Nuroks. Seeing the Nurok guard outside caused her to remember a few key aspects of Nuroks:

1) Nuroks seemed to prefer braids and dreadlocks, decorated by a few accessories. The most obvious, however, is the feather, which is an integral part of the culture.

 _I remember something about the Rite of Feathers_ , Miho thought.

2) Nuroks wielded spears, bows and arrows, and even a few musket rifles.

 _Why the primitive kinds?_ Miho wondered.

3) Nuroks wholeheartedly listened to their chiefs, even in unpopular opinions.

 _Not exactly a smart move_ , Miho thought. _If all three were bad, then how could the people object, let alone against a single chief?_

However, despite what they had done, Miho had no grudge; instead, sympathy and confusion filled her heart.

"You anxious?" asked the guard. This time, his serious face lost its demeanor, and Miho noticed his eyes...

He sighed.

"I am sorry for what had transpired," he said. "Normally, our chiefs are more benevolent than this. But Chief Max Monstereater seemed...to have changed. He was normally more receptive than this; it was he who advocated opening up trade routes with outside peoples."

Miho blinked.

"Wh...what happened?" Miho asked. Something stirred inside of her, and she wanted to find the reason for, even sympathy with, Chief Max's attitude.

"I don't why," he said. "But he seemed...hypersensitive nowadays. I thought it was because of the near-death of our 20 children and such, but looking back...it had older roots."

Miho stood, silent and waiting.

"Long story short," he explained. "Somewhere last year-no...two years ago, a year before the near-death of our 20 kids, Chief Max started to have a...darker outlook. That was when a Christian faction negotiated with us, and we traded our wild berries for the forge."

Miho blinked, then gasped.

"Wait," Miho said. "So that forge..."

 _About two weeks ago, while she was wandering around, Miho saw the forge. It was a small shack, but the presence of a shiny anvil, rows of steel tools, and a pile of steel pieces betrayed its true nature._

 _"A forge," Miho noted. "I don't remember natives being big on steel."_

 _"Until the Christians came," a local Nurok boy chimed in._

 _"Oh!" Miho replied. "Gary Slingshot, so the forge was a gift from another faction?"_

 _"It allowed us to craft stronger, better weapons," Gary replied. "But I have to go; I am on an errand. See ya, pretty!"_

 _He dashed away._

 _"Pretty..." Miho whispered to herself, looking down. She still could not realize that her body, like her friends', was now bigger, stronger, and better._

 _"Pretty," Miho repeated, musing as she walked away, as the sound of a hammer slamming into a piece of steel._

"A small detail," he sighed.

"But a significant one," Miho noted. "Benjamin Bulltaker, what happened?"

"It was weird," Benjamin admitted. "But once we traded for all of the equipment to make a forge, the only forge we have, Chief Max started to advocate the improving our weapons. We were not bothered, since we liked the forge. It allowed our blacksmiths to finally craft stronger steel weapons, instead of the puny stone and wooden weapons. You saw our tomahawks, right?"

He then flashed out a tomahawk, its smooth, steel surfaces radiating what little light was inside the prison. Even Miho smiled.

"But now that I look back..." Benjamin mused, thinking deeply.

Miho dropped her smile, and waited.

"He said something about 'finally, we are getting ready for the takeover' or something," Benjamin continued. "Most of us Nuroks were not bothered. But after getting the forge, and transiting to steel weapons, the chiefs started to argue. You already noticed that the chiefs argued, but not this frequently. Two years ago, the chiefs argued only about once or twice a year; last year, three or four."

"And the Chosen One," Miho interjected. "Who almost murdered your people?"

"Even though we managed to destroy her," Benjamin answered. "After that, Chief Max started to argue weekly. Most of us Nuroks started to worry, but we were faithful, trusting that we will stay together. Then, his loyal supporters started to go out farther and farther, coming back with a variety of animals. We asked them what they were for, and they replied: 'Showcase our power.' Well, we Nuroks do NOT believe in trophy hunting; we hunt for food and resources, not just to show off. Chief Liam and Chief Nightwolf started to rant against Chief Max, and the three argued into the night."

"And?" Miho asked.

He sighed.

"And into that argument phase," he said. "You girls showed up."

Miho contemplated, then gasped.

"Wait a second," Miho said. "Now that you mention it, where are the Redwood Trio?"

Miho remembered the first three Nuroks she met: Nighthawk, Lucas, and Mike.

"I-I haven't seen them," Miho finished her sentence.

"Ah, so you notice," Benjamin said, sighing. "That was another reason."

Miho blinked.

"Chief Max compromised and made a deal," he said. "If those three manage to capture at least 20 Chosen Ones and bring them alive, then they are free to go out and do as they please."

Miho stared, confounded.

"However," Benjamin continued. "Knowing that the three may suspect something, he had them on another mission: **find the E-Trinity**."

"E-Trinity?" Miho asked.

"The Christian faction that gave us the forge," he replied. "However..."

He trailed off, his face downcast.

"If they were still here," he mumbled. "Then, you girls will never have suffered this."

"Wait!" Miho said. "I am confused."

"I know," he said. "Even I am confused. I guess that Chief Max was clever enough to trick even us Nuroks."

Miho stared, stunned. Her eyes were wide open.

 **"Those three are brothers," he said. "But the chiefs are not, just friends. However, each brother grew up under the mentorship of each chief. Chief Max suspected that Mike Mankiller was...a little too soft on you girls. Somehow, he managed to find out what could happen, and pulled the strings."**

"To put it simply," Miho said. "Based on the confusing details and circumstances you gave me, Chief Max somehow tricked all of you into this, plus sent those three away, so that they...will not interfere."

"Yes," he replied with a sigh.

Silence echoed throughout the cell and the underground. A magical torch flickered weakly, moaning as the truth of the matter weighed heavily in the air.

"But why?" Miho asked. "And wouldn't he trust even Mike?"

"Chief Max has always kept the interests of us Nuroks," he said. "But if he thinks that the Nuroks are a little too...'warm' towards foreigners like you...then we may fall. But come on; we are not stupid! But he...is trying to do something?"

He trailed off again, sighing. Miho waited patiently, and he spoke after a whole minute of silence.

"It's amazing how he pulled this...stunt," Benjamin said. "I cannot stop this, since the other chiefs trust his judgment. Here."

He threw down something onto the floor.

"We got it from the E-Trinity," he whispered. "Don't let anyone see it."

He then dashed away, apparently to avoid being caught or something.

Miho then looked down, as the magical torch from outside the cell barely lit up her dark room:

It was a Bible.

* * *

 **Little Bighorn, New Cal**

 **Inside the underground prison, before the strange blast...**

 **7:15 AM; November 21, 20XX**

She stared at it for a while, letting the torch on the wall flicker weakly.

Black leather.

Worn edges.

Sad yet...

Smiling.

Somebody pasted the face of a cute, little girl, smiling at Miho. The girl in the picture was holding a teddy bear...

Miho wept, her tears falling down, wetting its leathery blackness.

 _Kick it_ , a voice whispered inside of her head.

On instinct, her right foot tapped the book, ready to aim and kick.

 _Wait_...another voice echoed. _Try and read it._

 _You're not Christian!_ the same voice cried. _Why even read?_

 _You don't have to read_ , the other voice echoed. _But at least just...peek._

Miho's right foot tapped the book, then flipped it. Pages opened, and the book stopped flipping. She squinted her eyes, as the only torch in the cell emitted very little light. Barely, she managed to see one verse highlighted in distinct yellow:

 _"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering..."_

Miho was silent, as the echo of the empty cell resonated, broken only by the sounds of girls talking, weeping, and sometimes screaming behind the wall.

She got, and got back to the widow.

"Dear friends," Miho said. Her friends returned back with anticipation.

"Dear friends," she continued. "Do...do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering."

She then slowly went back, in order to try and flip through it more.

* * *

Her friends stood silent, then talked among themselves.

"Definitely sounds like her," Azusa sniffed.

"We're scared..." her teammates groaned. Even Saki snuggled up to her team, trying to find what little comfort they had.

"What are we going to do?!" Momo groaned, struggling again and again, in vain as she tried to rip out the cuffs. "These cuffs are made of steel! Worse, they're enchanted to keep us bound!"

Anzu and Yuzu both were silent, thinking.

"Even guts cannot get rid of these," Noriko sighed, showing a rare sign of defeat. Her teammates nodded.

"It reminds me," sighed Oryou. "Of the Bay of Pigs Invasion."

"That's...right," her teammates answered in a dejected voice.

"Come on!" Saori groaned. "We-we have to do something!"

"The cuffs are hard," Hana remarked, flicking the chains around and around like a toy.

"Too sleepy," Mako groaned, slumped unto the ground.

"Nishizumi-dono!" Yukari shouted. "Please! Hang in there!"

Yet even she sniffed, a single tear flowing down her left eye.

The girls were all silent, waiting upon Miho. A lone torch flickered inside of their cell, almost cramped together. Indeed, the cell was designed for ten people, not 21.

"Dear friends," Yuzu repeated what Miho said. "Do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering...It sounds just like her, but also...sounds odd."

"We're Japanese," Momo moaned, sniffing and crying out. "Man! I want to go home! I am no superhero!"

"I want to go home!"

"Just want to be normal!"

"My family!"

"Our school!"

The girls groaned and wailed, as the prison echoed and echoed. They cried and cried, bawling out like little kids lost.

Miho heard the cries from behind the wall, as she struggled to peruse the pages of the old book.

"Strange," Miho said to herself. "I have never read a book of this type before; why do I feel a...pull of sort towards it?"

Something pulsed, but it faded before Miho noticed it.

"Hmm," Miho mused, trying to flip the pages with her feet. "Now that I think about it, Kuromorimine had a foreign teacher. He taught us about the Bible, although he...did not seem to like it. Why would he teach a topic that he dislike? And he did not seem to even like the Bible...How was he able to teach a topic that he hate?"

After multiple attempts to flip the pages, a single highlighted verse caught her attention:

 _"Deliver me from my enemies, O God; protect me from those who rise up against me."_

"Psalms 59:1," Miho read.

Miho sniffed, and flipped a bunch of pages, and a new one appeared:

 _"My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word."_

"Psalms 119:28," Miho sniffed, tears flowing out.

"Oh!" she suddenly cried out, kneeling down. It did not help that the spiked cuffs dug deeper into her flesh, causing blood to ooze out.

"God!" she cried out to the ceiling. "God, oh God! Help us, oh God! I don't care whether I am in Japan or USA! God! Kami! Anyone! Please! Help us!"

Suddenly, she sensed something coming through. She turned around, and a strange wave of light magenta light passed through the wooden walls, and passed through her before disappearing.

Then, it was still again.

Miho got up, and approached the window.

"Friends," she said. "Did you..."

She stopped, because it was obvious.

"What was that?"

"Another magic?"

"I want to go home!"

"No more magic, please!"

"We have to see," Miho began. "But first...augh..."

She suddenly dropped down, kneeling. A strange, intense feeling was building inside.

"Augh..." she moaned. "Ah...augh...AAAHHHHH!"

22 screams rang out of the prison, shaking the walls, the ceiling, and the bars.

* * *

 **Little Bighorn, New Cal**

 **Inside the underground prison...**

 **7:30 AM; November 21, 20XX**

"What was that?!" one of the guards cried.

Four guards were outside, including Benjamin. They all were guarding the single entrance to the underground prison, which looked almost like a trapdoor. However, the door had magical patterns on it.

Benjamin, with the most downcast eyes of the four, was kneeling down, unaware of the screams below. He sighed.

"I know how you feel," Henry Hammerfist said, kneeling down to look at him. "I saw her from before. She's definitely not the type to betray us, but I guess it's good to safe. But this is...a little off."

Benjamin said nothing, but just sighed.

"But why?" Henry asked rhetorically. "Even I wonder...why would the Great Spirit allow such things to happen?"

 **"Some questions are hard to answer," one of the guards said, trying to avoid sighing. "But let's just say...there is a time for everything."**

"Yeah," Benjamin said in a low voice. "I mean...you have a way to keeping your cool, Aaron Angerkiller."

Aaron shrugged.

"That's why I got the name," he said. "But let's refocus our attention; one of us needs to check the girls. Their screams seem weird, and I heard noises downstairs. Plus, all that happened after the strange wave passed by."

"Alright," Benjamin began, getting up. "Henry, come with-"

BOOM!

The people stopped, then panic overcame them. All four guards, however, sighed, as they prepared their weapons.

BOOM!

"Here they come," Aaron groaned. "Ken Kingriser, Benjamin Bulltaker, and Henry Hammerfist."

"We know," the other three sighed, stretching as the people all around started to run all around.

"Brothers and sisters!" Aaron cried out, coming towards a horde of women and children. "This way!"

Aaron and Ken both directed much of the crowd, while Benjamin and Henry ran towards the source of the explosions.

"Oh!" Benjamin realized. "What about the prisoners?"

"Leave them!" Henry replied, as the two continued to run. "They're safe in there, and we need to defend our town! It's not like they're free."

All of them left, unaware of what was going on below...

* * *

"Augh...ah..."

Nishizumi Miho panted, struggling not with her binds, but with a sudden spike of...something inside.

It felt like she was going to explode.

"Uh...ahh...WAUUUGGHHHH!"

She screeched inhumanly, as she unconsciously ripped out the binds. The force was so powerful, that the cuffs shattered like glass, while the bars creaked, then snapped. The magical patterns on the walls flashed, before disappearing. The torch puffed out, but a new light emerged.

She then knelt down, and punched the ground with her left hand.

Gasping after what felt like a few moments, she slowly got up.

"This is...unbelievable," Miho gasped in awe, after she regained her composure. The shackles vaporized, she flexed her body. It was brimming with newfound power; she felt like something was waking within her.

A flash of light appeared from her chest for a split second, before disappearing.

"Huh?" Miho looked down.

Between her breasts, she vaguely noticed a weird...marking. However, it soon faded, so that she wondered whether she was dreaming.

"Was it really there?" she pondered. "But anyway, I feel stronger."

She stretched herself, and heard the moans and cries from the other cell.

"The girls!" she gasped, and on impulse whipped out her right arm to summon her sword.

To her surprise, the sword appeared, but larger than before. Upon closer inspection, her eyes analyzing it close up, she noticed that it had an actual sword tip. Scanning around the edges, she twitched, surprised that now, two chainsaws revved inside of the mechanism.

Brum-brum-brrr...

Wum-brum-brrr...

Two simultaneous noises now echoed from the sword.

"What just happened..." Miho began. "Ah! The girls! Friends, are you-"

Her cell's wall burst, throwing debris and dust everywhere, and a blazing silhouette appeared and stumbled unto her floor.

"Cough-cough!" the silhouette groaned. "That hurt a little more than expected!"

"Saori-san!" Miho called out, approaching her. Her friend still coughed, thanks to the dust that her little stunt had caused. Miho sniffed and coughed, too.

"Mi-Miporin!" she managed to cough an answer, and more girls flooded in, their cuffs destroyed in various pieces. Most continued to smash the remaining cuffs.

"Finally!" Momo groaned, throwing away her handcuffs, while stomping on the remains of her leg cuffs. They shattered like mere glass.

"That was unexpected," Anzu snickered, hands behind her head, casually kicking away her leg cuffs.

"But great!" Noriko roared, as she helped to shatter the cuffs on other girls.

Miho smiled, almost tearing up.

"Friends," she began.

BOOM!

Miho looked up, as the gate above the stairs flew wide open, allowing some light to come in.

BOOM!

"AHHHHH!"

Multiple screams echoed from outside.

"What's going on?!" multiple voices shrieked, with some of the Rabbit girls squirming in fear.

"Guess it's not just us," Mako groaned, summoning her shield. "And-wow, my shield is bigger."

Mako had to tiptoe just to put her chin on her shield, which was rounder with spikes all around.

"It looks like the aspis shield of ancient Greeks," remarked Caesar.

BOOM!

"Maybe there is some kind of fighting happening in the town?" Yuzu suggested. "Even the guards appeared to have abandoned their posts."

She and a few girls went up the stairs, including Miho. They looked up. The gate was wide open, and they noticed multiple shadows of people fleeing from something.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I feel a lot stronger now!" Momo roared.

"Yes," Miho said, coming down quickly. "But friends, no time to stand around. We need to check out what's going on!"

Nodding, everybody went up the stairs, while reminiscing on the strange change.

"But what happened, Miho-senpai?" Azusa asked, coming up close behind her. "We-we saw that strange wave of energy, and I felt something electric pass through my body."

"Same here," Miho replied, and other nodded.

BOOM!

Upon exiting the underground prison, all 22 girls came out, and gasped.

Hundreds and thousands of people were scrambling about, panicking as a volley of artillery shells struck the buildings. Fortunately, they did not hit anyone, although many were injured in the blast radius. Most, however, were fleeing in the direction of a nearby forest, led by a couple of armed Braves. Their weapons of various kinds were flashing with some magical essence.

"This way!" one of the Braves roared, as the influx of mostly women and children ran past the prison. Even the prison guards were too focused to notice the girls; they were concerned with keeping their villagers safe from the onslaught.

"Take cover!" one of the Braves shouted, but it was too late. A few small shells struck, obliterating the buildings and sending debris everywhere. Around, numerous voices screamed and echoed.

"We need a healer here!"

"Don't stop; move!"

"Everyone help move the debris!"

"I need help!"

"Keep running towards the forest!"

"Mama!"

"This is no war movie," Yukari gasped, as she and others stared in horror. Suddenly, a large, glowing object appeared, arcing its way through the sky and descending towards the middle of a crowded street. Numerous screams echoed.

Miho raised her sword on impulse, and ran.

"Miho!" multiple voices roared, as she jumped to the highest building possible, which looked like a church with very tall spires. She climbed up to the highest one, before looking up and sighing.

She then eyed the shell, as it was coming down incredibly fast.

"1,500 m away," Miho noted. "1,000 m. 500 m-now!"

She jumped, her sword's saws whirling and buzzing with fury. With a grunt, she cut the glowing shell in half.

ZZZZZZZZZZZ!

"What-!?" she gasped, but the halves suddenly detonated, engulfing her in a huge fireball.

"Miho!?" numerous voices screamed.

"What the?!"

"Is that one of the Chosen Ones?"

"Just run!"

"So cool!"

"Just RUN!"

Fortunately, the fireball blew up in the air, safely above the remaining buildings below. Small embers fell down, which touched lightly upon the roofs of the buildings. Surprisingly, they did not seem to catch on fire.

"Ouch," Miho grunted lightly, as she fell from the fireball, and landed back on the tall spire, the very same one where she jumped from. Dusting her clothing, she then leaped down, as her friends ran towards her.

"Are you alright?!" many of them screamed.

Saori, Azusa, and Yuzu inspected her clothing fervently.

"Just bruises!" Saori gasped. "And no burns?!"

"Wow..." even Miho gasped, surprised by the turn of events. "You're right."

She checked herself. Indeed, even her clothing did not seem tattered by the blast.

"That was cool!" Yukari squealed. "We ARE stronger now!"

Miho turned around, unfazed by the comment.

"Girls," she replied. "There is the battle."

They all looked in the direction of Miho's eyes. Not far away, rows after rows of Nuroks stood in formation, bracing themselves against a looming horde of silhouettes in the distance. Miho squinted her eyes, and gasped.

"Robots," she uttered.

"Robots?!" the girls asked in shock, looking back.

"Yeah..." Mako shook. "Robots, alright. Man-killing robots..."

She hid behind her giant shield, shaking.

 **"OK!" Saori blurted out, stomping her feet and shaking her head in disbelief. "We've fought against zombies, became Chosen Ones, stopped a sentient ball of weird magic from the destroying the world, evaded prosecution on California at least a month, found a strange island full of stranger stuff, and our tanks are MAGICAL, because of weird circumstances or whatnot were ridiculous enough! Augh! And now, this?!"**

"Robots, alright," Mako repeated, as she and others stared.

"Oh no..." Yuuki shivered, summoning her mirror. She did not realize that her mirror was now snowy-white, with shapes of flowers and laces on the edges. It also was larger, enough to hide her face and half of her torso. She and others shook, as they saw the hordes that were about to fall upon the Nuroks like tsunamis hitting a beach.

"They look," Caesar said, summoning her cheiroballista, which now had an actual telescope on it (she did not seem to realize that). "Like some weird, bipedal robots that look like cool, armored soldiers from some games I saw in the arcades. Muscular with black armor and..."

"...red eyes," Mako whined. "And you don't need to detail everything..."

"But seriously?!" Momo roared. "I am not tech-savvy, but I know that this level of technology is too much! In fact, it should NOT exist! Even Japan still barely managed to create barely smart, robotic servants. But this! This!?"

She knelt down, holding her head with her hands, as if it was about to explode.

 **Miho counted 15,000 of the strange robotic beings, and noticed 4,000 of the Nuroks, brandishing their weapons. She noticed Chief Max leading the forces, while she did not see Chief Liam or Chief Nightwolf.**

"What should we do?!" Azusa asked, trying to stay calm.

"Can't we just run?" asked Momo. "And escape, for crying out loud?"

"But about the innocent?" Yuzu objected. "We need to help!"

Momo made a face, before sighing.

"Ugh!" Momo groaned, scratching her head. "Good point there! I also want to help! But as soon as we help, we're escaping!"

Suddenly, two figures noticed them, and approached them quickly.

"Some guards?!" Momo grunted, summoning her weapon. "Wow!"

Her weapon was even bigger now, and looked like a fusion of a claw hammer and a megaphone. Intricate, peach-like patterns decorated the exterior of the steel-like surfaces.

"Vanessa! Miss Emma!" Miho called out, recognizing the figures.

"Oh," Momo noted, lowering her weapon.

The two people ran to them, panting.

"What's going on?" Miho asked the obvious question.

 **"New Silicon!" Vanessa screamed, hugging Miho with all her might. "They're here! Baddies here!"**

All girls froze.

 _New Silicon._

 _The enemy warned by both Shiho and the Nuroks._

 _They're here._

"Miss Miho!" Emma panted, taking out her herbal medications. "Do-do you need-"

Miho touched her, and shook her head.

"We're fine," Miho said. "I believe that energy wave healed us."

Emma analyzed the girls, and sighed in relief.

"Please forgive us Nuroks," she said. "For the treatment you all had to endure."

Miho smiled.

"You're innocent," she replied. "But thanks."

"Here!" Emma said, piling Miho's hands with herbal medications. "Maybe they can help, just in case!"

"Get some fruits here!" Vanessa said, raising up her cute basket of berries.

"Th-thank you," Miho said. "Girls!"

The others nodded, and received the potentially useful items. All of them rapidly gobbled down the fruits, which were mostly berries. Miho, however, focused on the black raspberries, storing some of them inside of her sword's secret compartments.

"Please get out of here!" Miho then uttered.

Despite Vanessa's objections, Emma grabbed her and carried her to the forest.

More shells started to rain down.

"Anzu! Noriko! All of you!" Miho barked orders. "There are 22 of them! Strike them!"

Without thinking, all 22 jumped up to various buildings. Most, however, did not even summon their weapons, and just jumped at the shells, obliterating them in a flash.

"Augh!" Noriko coughed. "That was one spike!"

Everybody then fell down carefully, and watched the chaos unfold.

"Drivers!" Miho commanded. "Go to the cave site and retrieve our tanks!"

"Roger that!" Mako, Yuzu, Shinobu, Oryou, and Karina all obeyed, and ran as fast as possible towards the tank. They knew that the keys were also there, since the guards kept them close there for some reason.

"Anglerfish!" Miho continued. "Follow me! Turtle! Go find the chiefs! Duck and Hippo! Go and join the fight! Rabbit, go and help the people!"

They all split, and the girls continued their quest to protect the settlement...

* * *

 **Little Bighorn, New Cal**

 **Inside the underground prison...**

 **7:45 AM; November 21, 20XX**

It was only a few minutes ago, but it felt like hours.

Screams echoed all around, as the girls hurried to their positions. Miho sighed in relief, as they saw nobody dead so far...

"Mama!" a voice screeched.

Miho immediately came to the voice, and found the woman critically injured. She placed a hand on her, and she recovered. Miho lifted her up to her feet, who then picked her daughter up.

"Go-go!" she roared, and the two departed without hesitation.

Miho and her team then jumped on top of the Amerindian Abode, and surveyed the onslaught.

Small vanguard forces of the robots were already attacking Little Bighorn, slamming into a strange series of walls, which looked like wooden spikes and timber pieces that lined the boundaries of the town. Chunks of metals flew all around, as they stepped upon what looked like strange markings on the ground, while the walls somehow immobilized other robots.

"The Walls of Haudenosaunee," Miho remarked. "Some Nuroks told me about them; they appear only when the town is under attack."

 **The strange series of walls even looked alive, and Miho noticed what looked like bamboo-like spikes jutting out, impaling some robots. Other robots, however, got entangled in rope-like vines, while what looked like giant fruits on the ground exploded whenever some of the robots stepped on them.**

"What are those?" Miho asked one of the Nurok Braves, who was resting to drink.

"Those walls?" he asked.

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "William Willpower, I mean those plant-like traps."

"The chiefs hide a lot," he said on impulse, then stared with open eyes. "Oh no, I should not have-"

Miho shook her head, smiling.

"Don't worry," she said, as she noticed a few robots suddenly leaping like mechanical, oversized fleas. "I will keep it a secret, unless the Great Spirit says so."

Sighing in relief, he saluted her before running to his post to shoot at the jumping robots.

 **Apparently, one way to persuade the Nuroks was to respect their god named the Great Spirit. She did not really know much, other than that they greatly revere him. Although she and the others were not bothered, since they were Japanese, Miho was curious about it, because the Great Spirit sounded familiar.**

"I wonder," Miho began to muse, but more robots started to rocket into the air, forcing her to prioritize fighting over thinking.

* * *

"GUTS!" a group of screams roared, as four silhouettes slammed into the vanguard.

"Wow!" multiple Nuroks reacted, stunned to see the prisoners not only freed, but also fighting against the robots.

"What the?!" one of the Nurok Brave leaders yelled, distinguished by his samurai-like wooden armor with a few red lines. "Braves! Capture them!"

"No!" another leader barked a different order, whose armor had blue lines. "They're helping us! Let's fight together, and capture them later!"

A few Nuroks were struggling against the robots, which looked like humanoid ogres in suits of armor. However, the Duck girls all just punched and kicked their way through, destroying them like pieces of trash.

"...alright," the red-armored leader sighed. "Men! Help them, but keep an eye on them!"

Multiple Nuroks nodded, but were glad to get some needed help. The Duck girls slammed and struck left and right, destroying them with ease.

"Ha!" Noriko roared, kicking away the robots. "Take that, evil robots!"

She then summoned her weapon, and swung it around. Numerous shots rang out, striking the robots left and right like flying machine guns.

"Yikes!" Noriko shouted, shocked by the sudden power surge. "Wow, my staff is stronger!"

Encouraged by the show of force, her teammates then summoned their weapons, and charged in. Taeko rapidly struck numerous robots with her spear, which suddenly grew in length, impaling them rapidly. Even crazier, each time she struck, the pierced robot exploded, causing damage to the nearby enemies!

"Eek!" she gasped. "That was weird!"

"Yay!"

However, the craziest of the three was Akebi, whose dao butterfly swords looked more like katanas, as she literally danced into the field, spinning around and around. She kept spinning, and was apparently immune to dizziness, as she spun from one enemy to the next.

"Is she a hurricane?" Taeko asked, staring at the onslaught.

Numerous other Nuroks glanced at her, apparently impressed. It helped that she had a voluptuous appearance, so...yeah.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Hippo Team surveyed the attacks, and summoned their.

"Wow!" all three cried in unison.

Although their weapons all looked similar, they were...bigger and simpler.

"My weapon is a punt gun with four barrels," Erwin noted. "But...I can't change it back into a smaller version."

"Mine too," Caesar noted, wielding her cheiroballista. "Normally, this is what I would use as a turret, but now it's an over-sized portable crossbow."

"My bow is bigger," Saemonza said, checking it. "But that is all."

Erwin shrugged, before aiming her punt gun. A huge blast erupted from her barrels, destroying ten robots outright.

The others followed suit, and the sky was filled with volleys of bullets, bolts, and arrows. Hundreds of robots fell down, impaled and burst apart by the sudden fire. Numerous Nuroks cheered, as they were struggling and welcomed the show of force.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Rabbit girls watched waves after waves of Nuroks, mostly women and children, ran to the forest. Seeing the shells flying above, they all summoned their weapons.

"Wow!" all of them gasped.

Azusa looked at her staff, confused. It was just like her usual Celtic cross staff, but fancier and with...

"Bunny ears and wings?" she noted.

"Kawaii!" the others reacted, both at Azusa's staff and at their own weapons.

Suddenly, three shells flew down towards them.

"Watch out!" Azusa cried out, raising her staff. Suddenly, the head of the staff broke away, and split into strange pieces that re-emerged together, looking like the inside of a futuristic cannon. Three blasts appeared within, which she fired away.

BOOM!

All three hit the shells, preventing them from striking.

"Awesome!" Ayumi cried. "And-oh!"

A few of the robots managed to jump into the town, staring with blood-red eyes. Their gauntlets were starting to tear apart the nearby buildings.

"Get out of here!" Ayumi roared, charging with her giant grimoire, which was larger and had a picture of her team mascot on the cover. It also was not chained, and she threw the book at the robot.

Suddenly, the book opened, and the pages turned into teeth and snapped into the robot, like a hungry lion's jaw. The robot was chomped until only its feet remained.

"Wow," Ayumi gawked, lifting up the grimoire, which calmed down like a cute puppy.

"Mirror-mirror," Yuuki said, dusting off her enchanted mirror, which looked more like an ornate, silvery version with miniature pictures of rabbits hopping on the edges. "Let's show what you can do."

She then flashed it, and numerous lasers suddenly fired from the surface, piercing the robots from a distance.

"Wow," she replied in awe.

Saki, as usual, said nothing, as she raised her lanterns. Two of them looked like paper lanterns, which floated behind her, while she had two others in her hands. All four radiated out butterfly-like energy blasts, which fluttered towards the robots. They finally reached their targets. The robots then swiped at them, only for them to explode, obliterating them in the process.

Saki gazed, amazed.

"Let's see what I can do!" Aya cried out, raising up her globes, which floated around and around. They then flew to different locations, and pulsed before summoning force fields on the ground.

"Aw..." she groaned. "I was trying to fire something-"

BOOM! BOOM!

Shells suddenly flew down, and hit the force fields, protecting the people below."

"...maybe that was a good idea," Aya said, changing her mind.

"Girls!" Azusa called out. "Don't just attack; defend the others and heal!"

Nodding, the girls went about. Azusa mumbled something, and raised her staff to fire more blasts, this time covering the people in healing waves. Ayumi went straight to the front lines, keeping the few vanguard robots away with their weapons. Yuuki shot at the shells flying in, while Aya continued to summon more force fields on the ground. Saki, however, summoned her magic butterflies, which floated around, attracting the attention of scared people, encouraging them to follow.

* * *

Miho watched, pleased as her friends were working well.

"Saori-san!" she called out. "Go and help the Rabbit Team!"

Saori nodded, and ran off, fans in hand.

"Hana-san!" she continued. "Support the Hippo Team!"

Hana nodded, and leaped towards them.

"Yukari-san. Help the Duck Team!"

Nodding, she charged into the battle.

Miho then looked around, watching for which area needed the most help.

She did not need to wait long.

"Five...giant robots?" Miho wondered, watching five new silhouettes.

They looked like gigantic versions of the robots, except with uniquely sleek armor and giant cockpits. She gasped, realizing that they were mechs, with people inside. Each mech stopped, watching the fight turn in favor of the combined forces of the Nuroks and her friends.

"Oh no," Miho said. "I hope the girls are coming with the tanks."

She then jumped down, and ran towards the battle scene. Letting others fight the robots, she leaped left and right, avoiding the robots as they tried to attack her. Eventually, she ran right towards the mechs.

All five looked down at her, as she expected; Miho wanted the mechs to focus on her, in order to distract them from Little Bighorn.

Raising her sword, Miho looked up. The apparent leader, with a mech more advanced-looking than others, opened up the cockpit, and she came out.

She looked like a blond bombshell, but with haughty blue eyes, staring at her coldly. She then laughed.

"Ah!" she feigned surprise. "The savages have gained a new ally."

"Who are you?" Miho asked, staring up at her.

She laughed again. Her laughter was mirthless, giving Miho the chills.

"I am one of the greatest of all Chosen Ones," she declared. "Since our New Silicon has activated an altar, we all are now stronger. I am not afraid of you, since you have just one Hand, while I have both a Hand and this."

She tapped her giant machine of war, proudly smiling down at her.

"Don't let your guard down," Miho said.

"Ha!" she began. "I, the Great Izavel, cannot-"

 _Slash!_

Miho then came back to her spot, checking her blade.

"See?" she asked rhetorically.

The mech stood still. Then, gradually, it started to crack, and a huge slash mark appeared. Izavel, appalled, then escaped out, and watched in horror, as her machine fell into pieces.

She then turned to face Miho, growling and frowning.

"That cost me a lot!" she hissed, summoning her own weapon: a pair of jagged sickles. Miho blinked, as she realized that the weapons were sinister.

Izavel smirked.

"Have you noticed?" she asked in a mocking voice. "That there are different types of Chosen Ones?"

Miho blinked again, causing Izavel to laugh.

"Chosen Ones are all of us," she answered. "We are stronger, better versions of human girls, if we are even human that is."

 **The last part caused Miho to twitch, and even shiver.**

"In fact," she continued. "Once we activated the Altar of Empowerment back at our base, the New Silicon greenlit us to strike the Nurok savages. However, our plans were changed when she saw you."

Miho stared, still focused with her sword ready.

"Unfortunately," Izavel continued, as she and Miho started to circle around. Miho was conscious of the other four mechs, which watched her intensely; she suspected that they were going to attack her at any moment.

"We cannot connect back to our base," Izavel said. "In order to get reinforcements. Well, at least we can kill you."

Miho suspected so, as she jumped away in time, avoiding a laser blast from one of the four mechs.

"Too easy for you, eh?" Izavel grunted, laughing. "Wait till you-waugh!"

A sudden blast struck nearby the two girls, causing Izavel to lose her cool and shriek. She suddenly fell down, moaning.

Miho tilted her head, confused at the sudden change of behavior.

"Izavel!" one of the mechs shouted, the mechanical voice going through loudspeakers. "Get a hold of yourself! It's just a tank shell!"

"Wait," another mech began to speak. "Tank shell-"

BOOM!

Another shell struck that mech right in the cockpit, causing it to fall down. The other three flinched, then readied to fight back, as more shells fired down upon them. Miho wasted no time, as she dashed up to Izavel, then delivered a karate chop, striking her neck. She blinked, then fell down unconscious. Miho then carried her, quickly running away.

"Get our leader!" one of the mechs roared, as they struggled with the bombardment of missiles of all kinds.

Miho kept running away, as she ran through hordes of robots, which were thinning under the persistent attacks of both Nuroks and the Chosen girls.

Miho looked up, glad to see the familiar silhouettes of tanks. All five appeared, as each fired into the enemy groups.

"This is so easy now," Miho remarked, as she fled into the line of tanks.

Her team Panzer fired both its usual cannon and its machine gun, as Hana was using them inside. Mako was outside, wielding her urumi, which snaked down and brought down numerous robots with ease. The Type 89 tank then suddenly charged into the crowd, crushing the robots over its caterpillar tracks. The M3 Lee also followed suit, although at a slower pace, as it focused more on firing rather than charging. The StuG and the Hetzer were firing as fast as possible.

Shells after shells bombarded the regiments of robots, ripping them apart. Encouraged, more and more of the Nurok Braves then charged in, stabbing and slashing apart the mechanical enemies with ease.

"Miho!" multiple voices roared, and she turned to look.

Anzu and Momo were running in, weapons in hand. Behind them were an elite force of Braves, guarding Chief Max and Chief Nightwolf.

"Finally you show up!" Chief Nightwolf said, smiling wide. Chief Max, however, grunted and charged into the battle. His faithful guards followed suit.

"My apology for his behavior," Chief Nightwolf said. "He's still...yeah."

Miho nodded, as she dropped down Izavel's unconscious body.

"She's the leader," Miho said.

Nodding grimly, Chief Nightwolf had Izavel tightly bound. This time, Miho noticed that the binds were different, as now they had a special shaman, dressed in a very ornate costume.

"I believe that the New Silicon," he explained. "And their forces are trying to get it from us."

"Which one?" she asked.

Chief Nightwolf looked around, and approached her closely.

"Our flute," he said.

"A flute?" she asked.

"But we have been unable to find it," he whispered. "And I don't know where and why."

Miho thought, as the fight turned more and more in favor of the Nuroks. Eventually, all of her teammates then joined the fight, as the town was no longer bombarded. The tanks successfully struck down the artilleries behind the mechs. In return, however, the remaining mechs were starting to attack the Nuroks. Miho saw them, and froze at the thought of anyone killed.

"Chosen Miho," Chief Nighthawk spoke.

She turned around to look.

 **"Do not worry about us who get killed," he said, as if reading her mind. "We honor glory in battle, but let us deal with the Fallen Ones."**

She nodded, then was confused.

"The Fallen Ones?" she asked.

"Any Chosen One who is evil," he answered. "You know by their weapons."

Miho blinked, then gasped. She remembered seeing Izavel's sickles, which were jagged, looking sinister.

"I guess Chief Max confused your chainsaw as evil," he remarked.

"Ah..." Miho noted, nodding in agreement.

Both then watched, as the combined forces finally destroyed the rest of the robots. Only the three mechs remained.

"Wait!" Miho said. "Let us deal with them! Chosen Ones are controlling them!"

Nodding, he blew his strangely shaped horn. Most of them stopped fighting, as they let the girls pass by. However, Chief Max ran up towards the mechs.

"For the Great Spirit!" he roared, encouraging some of the Nuroks to charge in.

"Wait!" the girls and the Nuroks both roared, but it was too late.

The three mechs then fired their enchanted lasers, vaporizing many of the Nuroks. Miho facepalmed, as the deaths of so many were unnecessary. To her surprise, the Chief Max stood his ground, panting. His samurai-like armor brimmed with magical energy of mostly red hues.

"Come and get me!" he began to roar, then winced. "Augh!"

He fell down, as the blasts were too much to bear.

"Chief," one of the mechs roared in a mocking voice. "Where is the Flute?"

"Never!" he roared back.

"Uh-huh," the mech declared, before charging up for a blast of energy.

Suddenly, something flashed, and a blast of energy struck the mech's torso, causing it to wobble before falling apart. Miho's railgun brimmed with its own energy, pulsing with golden and light magenta streams of light. The nearby Nuroks gazed in awe.

"No more deaths," Miho said in a low voice. "Please."

She then changed her weapon back, and ran past Chief Max, letting Akebi carry him back to safety.

"Get off me!" he roared, struggling. "Or I will-"

Slap.

"Get your mind straight," Chief Nighthawk declared, slapping him once he was safe. "She saved you. They saved you."

"She?" he growled, then his face turned to shock. "Her?!"

He watched, shocked as Miho charged into the mechs, getting their attention.

"What's with these steel bodies?" one of the two groaned. "The New Silicon scientists told us that these were powerful!"

"Powerful in terms of weapons," the other groaned in a loud voice. "But not in terms of armor."

"You two," Miho declared, standing her ground. "Fight me, and see if you are indeed strong."

The other two watched down, then at the others.

The Nuroks were now mobilizing in larger numbers. Even some of the women and children started to flood back into the town, with their own weapons. Chief Liam and his forces now joined the rest. Seeing their fallen mech behind, and their leader in restraint, both sighed.

"Alright," they answered, and turned off.

The two mechs crouched down, and the cockpits opened up. Two figures jumped out, weapons in hand.

"Eek," Mako shivered. "A scythe and a bident. Both look very...demonic."

Both were jagged and crooked. The scythe wielder looked as sickly green as her own weapon, while the bident wielder looked reddish.

"Two against one," the scythe wielder grunted. "Nobody can really argue who will win."

"Numbers are one thing," Miho declared, raising her sword with her right hand alone. "But skill and will are another."

Grunting, the two readied their weapons. Suddenly, Miho reached with her left hand, and split her sword in half. Now, Miho wielded a chainsaw-like katana, each revving with energy. Oohs and ahhs echoed from behind, but Miho was focused.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Just get on with it," the scythe wielder grunted (although she was impressed), before charging in. "HAAAA!"

Miho sighed, then dropped her katanas.

"What?!" the others behind her reacted in shock. "Miho!"

Suddenly, Miho stepped in a specific way, avoiding the charge. Before the scythe wielder could do anything, Miho grabbed her, and swung her around, throwing her straight into the bident wielder. The two crashed, and stumbled. Before they could do anything, Miho grabbed her weapons, then used them to fling the girls' weapons away, much like using a claw hammer to pry the nails off. Before the girls realized what had happened, some Nurok shamans immediately approached, throwing the strange ropes used to bind the tanks. Numerous Nuroks and a few of the girls then swarmed the duo, binding them.

"Augh," the scythe wielder groaned.

"It's your fault," the other grunted.

"It's YOUR fault!" the other screamed back.

The girls continued their rant, as the others watched on. Some of them checked the fallen mechs, and found another Fallen, still alive but unconscious.

"It's ALL your fault!" Izavel screamed, waking up. "We had the perfect plan, just mowing down the savages, and now they have allies-wait, aha!"

She turned to look at Miho with pleading eyes.

"Join us please," she requested, trying to look innocent. Most, including Miho, sighed at the futile effort.

"Come on!" she pleaded. "You and I are both Chosen, well, before the Altar activated and all."

"You said something about 'savages,'" Miho said, flexing her muscles. "Let me tell you something."

"Eh?"

 **"No one is savage," Miho replied, her hand flashing. "Everybody is savage."**

A karate chop struck her neck, knocking her unconscious. The others emulated, knocking the rest of the Fallen Ones.

"Bind them," Chief Nightwolf said.

"But what about the cuffs?" asked Azusa. "We broke out of ours and..."

She trailed off, seeing the chief's smile.

"You boost the binds," he replied. "Then, we'll try and figure out from there."

Miho nodded, and her friends came in to boost the binds.

* * *

Afterwards, it was clean-up and restoration time, as Miho's group and the Nuroks worked together to fix the damages. It was surprisingly easy, as Miho and her group used their upgraded powers to restore the whole settlement in mere hours. They also drew out the herbs that they got, and used them to charge up their healing powers. Although the girls saw casualties, the Nuroks quickly removed the bodies, which surprised even Miho.

"We know that war is tough," Chief Nightwolf explained. "However, at the end of the day, you girls are girls. I remember you being uncertain about lives being lost. Yes, we know, but we honor that, and so we honor you."

Miho blinked, then nodded, accepting his reasoning as the Nuroks quickly removed their dead. In fact, only a few Nuroks focused on the funeral services, allowing most others to celebrate the rare victory: instead of thousands killed, only about 123 were killed.

"That's a surprisingly small number," Chief Nightwolf declared to an ecstatic crowd. "Thanks to the Chosen Ones, we now have reduced our death toll from thousands to a mere hundred or more."

"Better than thousands," Erwin said what the girls had in mind. She and others with hats took off their hats in quiet solidarity, but soon put them on in order to join the festivities.

After the restoration, both sides fully reconciled, and the girls got to walk around freely, enjoying all kinds of games and activities. The Duck Team went out with the hunters to catch more quarry, while the Hippo Team went out to help with fishing. The Rabbit Team went out into the fields, helping the children and women alike with the farming. The Turtle and the Anglerfish Team all chatted casually with the chiefs, except Chief Max, who still was grunting.

He was in cuffs, because of his rash decision to charge into the combat. According to Nurok traditions, a chief whose decisions led to unnecessary deaths was liable for them, and he was now in cuffs. By this time, all five Fallen Ones were awake, but tried as they might, they could not budge.

"Where is the Flute?" one of them roared.

"It's no use," the scythe wielder groaned, pulling at the cuffs. "Apparently, they improved their magic."

They kept complaining about the Flute, which the others ignored. They were tied, legs and all, so that they had to walk with Nurok guards all around. All six were mumbling and complaining, hating the treatment that they received.

"The Flute?" Miho and her friends asked.

"Don't tell them!" Chief Max began to roar, before a nudge from a nearby guard silenced him.

"You are not chief right now," Chief Nightwolf growled. "Killing your own members due to a miscalculated tactic? It's worse than Custer's own tactic."

"Or the Pickett's Charge," said Chief Liam, reading a book about the history of the US casually.

"That's right!" the Hippo girls all shouted in unison, who came back from their activity. Now that they were fully accepted, the girls were very free to express themselves, and the Nuroks warmed up to them quite fast. Even the few followers of Max nodded in approval; seeing their own peers being killed recklessly caused them to turn on their former chief.

"You killed my own brother in that way," said one of them, kicking Max in the side. "How dare you...I knew that I should have never trusted you."

Max grunted, then spat at him. Miho and another Nurok had to restrain the guard, who wanted to really wrestle with him.

"Leave him alone," Miho said. "Let the dead bury the dead."

That calmed him quite effectively, surprising even Miho.

"But what is the Flute?" asked Anzu, eating a piece of dried sweet potato. Nearby, a group of Nuroks worked hard on the food dehydrator, a pile of sweet potatoes nearby.

"Since you have saved us," said Chief Liam. "We'll tell you: it's our prized item. The New Silicon especially is interested in getting it."

"But we have no idea what happened," Chief Nightwolf admitted, sighing. "Last time we saw it, one of the New Silicon people attacked us."

"Then, the New Silicon attackers somehow lost it," said Chief Liam. "And accused us of 'stealing' it. But they quickly realized that we did not."

"We even offered to help them," Henry Hammerfist chimed in. "Well, they rejected our offer. Then, two years ago, we got the anvil from the E-Trinity."

Miho suddenly stopped her conversation with her friends, staring at him.

"Wait," Miho said. "You said that you lost the Flute about two years ago, right?"

"Ask Chief Nightwolf," Henry replied.

"Yes," Chief Nightwolf said.

"Did you...lose it before getting the anvil?" she asked.

"Yes?" he answered. "Why?"

"Can I see the anvil?"

"Huh?!" everybody around her asked.

* * *

"What does the forge have to do with our Flute?" asked Chief Liam.

A huge crowd surrounded the anvil, which now sat in the middle of the field in front of the Abode. Everybody stared at it, including Miho and the prisoners nearby. She then crouched down, analyzing it.

"Why are we letting the prisoners watch too?" asked one of the Nuroks.

"I think they need to know the real culprit of the missing item," Miho said. "Ah, there it is. You said you got it from the E-Trinity, right?"

"Right," said Chief Nightwolf, confused.

"Maybe that's why they sent it to you like this," she said. "In order to avoid attention."

"Umm..." others asked, puzzled by her words.

"And how much did you pay for the anvil?" she asked, analyzing it still.

"Now that we think about it," he admitted, musing. "The E-Trinity negotiated with us, and gave us a surprisingly LOW price. For such a valuable anvil, they even gave us all of the tools in order to build a forge."

"And I remember," said Chief Liam. "One of them remarking about 'diamond in the rough' or something."

"That's it," Miho confirmed.

"Eh?" the others asked, bewildered.

"You sound so mysterious!" Momo suddenly roared.

"Calm down," Yuzu said. "Momo-chan."

"Stop that!" she roared, stomping. Two of the Nuroks grunted, restraining her.

"Here you go," Miho said, pointing at something underneath the anvil.

The others looked. They saw nothing.

"Where?" asked Chief Nightwolf. "I see only brown spots."

"Why are there spots underneath a supposedly all-steel anvil?" Miho asked.

Mako blinked, then gasped.

"Wait a minute," Mako said. "Are you saying..."

"They hid it in here," Miho said. "In order to somehow bring it back to you."

"Huh?!" the others gasped.

Then, Miho pulled it, and everybody was in uproar.

* * *

 **Little Bighorn, New Cal**

 **Inside the underground prison...**

 **9:00 AM; November 28, 20XX**

"Thank you for all your hard work," Chief Nightwolf said. "But are you sure about this?"

Miho and her friends decided to leave. This time, they used their upgraded powers to restore their clothing, which looked just like their usual uniforms.

Except for one thing.

"The shoes are...ahem," Chief Nightwolf admitted, blushing.

The girls decided to wear boots better-suited for the outdoors. These were the only ones that were clearly Nurok in origin, except that the girls designed it in their own way.

It was Saori and the Rabbit Team who did much of the design, and the results were fancy boots, with a variety of designs based on the individual preference. All boots were knee-high, except for Saori, Aya, and Saemonza, whose boots were thigh-high.

All Rabbit girls' boots were pink with the team mascot emblems on their feet and kneecaps. Indeed, all girls got boots designed based on the team mascots; the Hippo girls had blue boots with Hippo emblems, while the Duck girls had red-and-white boots with Duck emblems. The Turtle girls had buff boots with green kneecaps and soles, which had the Turtle emblems (green still).

The Anglerfish girls, however, had the most interesting boots. Although all of their boots were pink with golden edges and laces, each pair was distinct:

-Mako had bluish-black kneecaps and bands around the ankles.

-Yukari had silver-white markings on the boots, designed to look like pantherine claw markings.

-Hana had pictures of green vines and trees, contrasted by clouds of azure-blue colors.

-Saori had very flashy pictures of flames and feathers, decorating her boots almost like the fiery version of the Boots of Hermes.

-Miho was the least pink; in fact, it was mostly golden with pink, light magenta, white, red, and blue markings all around, fit for a princess.

"Um..." Miho said. "Why are mine a little fancy? I asked for something simpler..."

"You're the leader," Chief Nightwolf said, smirking. "You need some recognition. But anyway, thank you for all your help. Are you sure you really want to leave so soon?"

After a week of staying, the girls decided to prepare to leave. They filled their tanks with all kinds of Nurok goods, from pemmican to Nurok weapons. However, it was mostly food, as the girls knew that they had a long journey ahead.

"Where are you all going, though?" asked Vanessa, who cuddled up to Miho.

"We have to leave," Miho explained, kneeling down. "In order to find our other friends, and elsewhere."

She sniffed, pushing her head into Miho's bosom. She patted her, although she was blinking at the realization that her breasts...

"They're so big," Vanessa blurted out, causing her to blush.

"Hey!" Saori said in a very low voice.

Miho then shrugged, then watched as all of her friends readied their tanks. In addition to the interior, the tanks also had parcels tied into the tanks, so that the tanks looked almost like transport trucks.

"Girls!" she cried out. "Let's get ready!"

Everybody then rode on the tanks. Behind them, the whole town of Little Bighorn watched. A row of shamans and priests blew into their flutes, the melodies floating in the air. Chief Nighthawk approached, taking out a plain-looking flute, except it was pulsing with strange magic.

* * *

 _"The Flute!" everybody gasped in shock, as Miho carefully took out the Flute. Miho could sense that it was quite stro_ _ng, although she was not sure why._

 _"How did you know?" asked Chief Nightwolf, crying with joy._

 _"I guess from what you said," she replied. "I mean, why would this E-Trinity give you the anvil so easily? With this, you all can make powerful weapons. I have wondered that your weapons were strong enough to destroy even the robots. Hence, I speculated that the anvil was enchanted."_

 _"And it's enchanted," Mako said. "Because it had magic inside."_

 _"But why send it like that way?" asked Chief Liam. "They could have just sent it straight."_

 _"Maybe they knew about the New Silicon," Anzu inferred._

 _"Oh..." the Nuroks responded, nodding in agreement._

 _"Well," Chief Nightwolf said. "Thank you for saving it; you can have it, Chief Miho."_

 _The two, however, went into a friendly but fierce debate, with Miho trying to give it away, and Chief Nightwolf trying to make her keep it._

 _"It's your_ **valuable** _cultural icon," she said, finally ending the debate. Sighing but smiling, he accepted it._

* * *

He then played the Flute. A very mystical tone flowed through, as ribbons of magical energy weaved in and out of the Flute. The girls listened calmly; even Momo cooled down, listening contently.

Suddenly, three men stepped up.

"Mike! Nighthawk! Lucas!" Miho cried out, approaching them.

"Hey there!" the trio declared, saluting her. "Long time no see, hero."

She blushed.

"Where were you?" she asked.

"We all got back," Lucas declared.

"After I had...a personal talk," Mike growled.

"But you did not have to..." Miho guessed what he did.

 _Indeed, the trio soon realized what had transpired, and came as soon as possible. However, upon reaching the settlement, they learned about what happened, and Mike had a...personal time with his mentor._

"Yeah," Nighthawk admitted. "He slapped Max very hard, leaving him very stunned."

Mike scratched his head viciously.

"I cannot believe he did that!" he roared. "My own mentor! My own chief! That was NOT very Nurok of him!"

"Leave him alone," Miho said. "Let the dead bury the dead."

Mike sighed in relief.

"Miporin!" Saori called out. "Let's go!"

"Ah!" she cried out. "Coming! Thank you, but we have to go soon!"

They all boarded, and all 22 girls saluted the Nuroks, who then reciprocated the greeting.

"Farewell!" Miho called out, waving.

The tanks revved their engines, then roared and screeched away. Caterpillar tracks rumbled through the grasses and herbs, as the machines moved deliberately. Everybody, even the drivers, continued to wave at their friends behind.

"Thank you!" the whole crowd cheered, as the shamans continued their flute whistling.

Eventually, the girls were a speck in the distance, partially hidden by the trees and hills.

"Now," Saori said, stretching in relief. "We are off!"

The girls then started to chat among themselves.

"So," Momo said. "What encouraged you to help out?"

"Huh?" Miho asked.

"What happened back in prison?" she asked. "I mean, I heard you, Nishizumi-san, saying something like a prayer, but I guess...we were all crying."

"Including you," Yuzu teased. "Momo-chan."

"Stop!" she roared, eliciting laughter from the others.

Miho shrugged, watching the direction in front of them. Unknown to everybody else, she secretly put something black with a picture of a girl smiling into her...sword.

Carefully, she opened a secret compartment inside, and slid the book right into it. It closed in, and Miho caused the sword to vanish.

"That will do," she said. "That will do."

* * *

Chief Nightwolf suddenly smirked.

"Redwood Trio," Chief Nightwolf said.

"Yes?" they asked.

"Follow them secretly," he whispered.

Smiling in silence, the trio crouched down, then dashed into the woods, leading to muffled cheers from some Nuroks.

"Thank you," he said. "Thank you."

"Aw..." Vanessa moaned. "I miss them..."

Numerous children came out, groaning cutely.

"We may see them again," Chief Nightwolf said, caressing the Flute. "Finally, we are safe at last."

"So she chose to leave me with you?" a voice echoed. Everybody except Chief Nightwolf blinked, then cried out in horror.

"Who's there?!" some cried out in alarm.

"The Great Spirit?"

"No, that sounds sinister!"

"Help!"

"Will you all be quiet?" the same voice echoed, causing everyone to stop.

Chief Nightwolf, however, was unfazed.

"Yes," he said casually. "The Flute, you can talk still, right?"

"The Flute can talk?!" Chief Liam gasped, as Vanessa watched with both awe and shock. Other Nuroks shrieked or gasped.

"Yes, I can," said the Flute, its voice sounding like a whistle, sounding a little annoyed. "And for such a people who believe in the supernatural, they sure are shocked at a talking artifact."

"But who are you really?" asked Chief Nightwolf. "All I know is that you can talk, and you are magically powerful."

The Flute made a sound as if grunting.

"I will not say much," it replied. "But that girl Miho is quite intriguing."

"How so?" he asked.

"Normally put," it explained. "If a Chosen One or an evolved form of her obtains me and my kind, that person is eligible to wield me. However, she deliberately rejected it, by giving away to you. A rare thing...a rare act..."

The Flute mused, its whistles blowing in the wind.

"Well," Chief Nightwolf said. "I sent three of our brothers to tag along, so that they are safe."

"Let me know when they come back," the Flute replied. "I want to talk to her...I should have."

"Don't worry," Chief Nightwolf said, casually like talking to an old friend.

"Why worry?" the Flute asked. "Vanessa, do you feel something from that girl?"

"Miho?" she asked.

"Yes," the Flute replied.

"She sure is nice!" Vanessa said. "And even said that she was Nishizumi Miho."

Suddenly, the Flute pulsed, causing Chief Nightwolf to react as if holding a hot kettle.

"Wow!" he shouted. "Flute, what's wrong?"

The Flute calmed down, then mumbled something.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Nishizumi..." the Flute whispered. "Could it be...no way..."

"Ahem," it replied. "Sorry, let's just say that I will help to upgrade your people's magic. I was the one who granted your people the power to be Nuroks, so please treat me with respect."

"We will," Chief Nightwolf said, and his people reciprocated.

"We will!"

"Good," the Flute replied. "That girl...she may be something more than meets the eye."

"I guess so," Chief Nightwolf said.

"We'll have to see," it replied. "We'll have to see..."

* * *

 **Unknown location...**

 **9:00 AM; November 28, 20XX**

A lone figure watched from a cliff, wielding a glowing set of what looked like a lance and a kite shield.

"Have you heard the saying?" she sighed. "There is a time for everything?"

"Ecclesiastes 3:1," a smaller figure replied, approaching. "But then...why are we here?"

"We have to," she sighed. "We need somebody to help."

"Where is-"

"She's running towards her," the taller figure said, cutting her off. "Sorry about that, but it's urgent. I told her to find her ASAP."

"Wow," the smaller figure said. "You sound a little stressed."

"I am," the taller figure admitted, sighing. "First things first: finding Miho."

"Here...is your tea," the smaller figure said.

"Thank you..." the taller person trailed off, taking it reluctantly.

She stared at the teacup, watching her face.

It was a little dirty, due to a lack of shower. She and her group had to; they were on the run, one too many times. She felt like...on the verge of breaking.

"Can't I go out and spy?" asked another figure, who had the longest hair of the trio.

"No," the apparent leader, holding the teacup, said. "You almost got caught; I am not losing you again."

She sighed, admitting that she was right.

The leader then stared at her cup again. Her own face still dirty, she could tell that had she not been Chosen, her beautiful face would have too many wrinkles. Fortunately, it did not, but it did not hide her apparent level of stress.

She suddenly panted and sighed, breathing hard. A single tear fell down, dropping into the abyss of the browning tea.

"Miho," she sniffed. "Please save us. Save our school."

* * *

 **Well, there you go.**

 **So, I have a few key things to say:**

 **1) The next chapter will be an in-depth exploration of my world, how the GuP universe functions, etc.**

 **2) The next chapter will also focus on how the world reacts to the rise of New Cal, and the disappearance of the GuP girls.**

 **3) The "Nurok arc" finally has ended. However, this has taught me to be patient, and to pace myself carefully.**

 **I hope that this story was worth your time.**

 **I give a shout-out to aGuestfromGreece45, for his contribution to the scene of the girls breaking out of prison. His ideas helped me to alleviate my writer's block.**

 **Please review, favorite, follow, and especially review (yes, I repeat) and comment. If necessary, feel free to message me.**

 **Thank you so much for your patience!**


	11. Chapter 11: The Outside World

**Readers, we now see a different perspective or more:**

* * *

 **Girls Wild Rise**

 **Chapter 11: The Outside World**

 **Months ago...**

"Mama!" a girl shrieked. "Isn't this amazing?!"

She and her family were all watching, thunderstruck. They could not believe what they were seeing.

A minute ago, the little girl was watching a kid's TV show on her favorite channel on a typical Saturday night. She was watching and humming along to the usual tunes of the show, while her mother was washing the dishes. Her little brother was playing an online game, while her father was coming home in a few minutes.

Suddenly, an alarm-like noise echoed from her show.

"What?" she asked, surprised by the sudden change in tone.

Below the show, a blue ribbon-like caption appeared, and a series of words marched out:

BREAKING NEWS: STRANGE NEW ISLAND FORMS IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN

"Mama!" she cried out. "I heard about a new island off the West Coast!"

"Hey!" her little brother shouted. "My online game is full of people talking about one thing!"

"The island?" she asked.

"Yeah!" he cried out, coming out. "You heard? A new island suddenly formed not far from the state of California!"

"Calm down," began their mother. "Now, what did you-"

BANG!

"Honey!" their father dashed in, throwing his suitcase and jacket away. "News channel, now!"

Without a moment's hesitation, more curious than shocked, the little girl obediently gave him the remote (his wife watched, stunned). Snatching it away with incredible speed, he dialed the number, and a news channel appeared.

"This is Wolf News!" a news reporter declared.

"Just in time!" he roared. "Honey! Mary! Joseph! Watch this!"

They all immediately sat down, except for the mother, who put her dish down and brought a family-sized bag of potato chips. On instinct, all four relished the chips, crunching them with a passion.

"What's going on?" she asked. "I heard about this, but it's quite new."

"All of the news channels now," he explained, panting. "Are showing the same thing!"

"We are still figuring some details out," the news anchor continued, as if he heard the father. "But what we know is this: a new island has formed miles from the nearest coasts of California and Baja California. It is at least twice the size of Greenland, although much of the true landmass' size is covered by some mysterious cloud."

The news anchor then turned around to look, his face as flabbergasted as the family, as the giant screen zoomed to show the progression of the island.

"This is much like the Surtsey!" Joseph the little boy shouted.

"Surtsey?" asked Mary his little sister.

"The volcanic island that formed out of a volcanic eruption!" he explained. "You see, it was a unique opportunity for the scientists around the world to study how an island forms."

"It's one way for islands to form," their father explained. "But this island is bizarre."

They were not alone.

"I still cannot believe that this is real!" one of the cameramen offscreen admitted.

"Keep professional!" a more serious voice shouted. "Continue!"

"Ahem!" the anchor said, turning back to face the TV.

"This is crazy!" another voice roared.

"Quiet!" the manager's voice boomed.

"Boss!" another shrieked.

Even the other people in the studio were baffled. Some were trying to maintain their professional demeanor, while others were more blunt in their emotions.

"We have contacted a few scientists," the anchor continued, trying to be unfazed. "But even they are confounded."

* * *

They were not alone. Reporters with all kinds of cameras from different countries and news platforms on helicopters filmed the place, showing the audience exactly how the island was emerging.

A whole island was emerging from the ocean. At first, it appeared like a crack from a coast off California. However, the part where the fragment supposedly split away rapidly restored, and the "floating" island suddenly and rapidly grew in size. Spy satellites from multiple countries managed to map out its relative size, which in a few hours grew from the size of a city complex, to the size of Iceland. However, at that point, a strange cloud of sort covered the island, blurring the true nature of the island.

* * *

 **In the US, the President Abel Benford was in an emergency conference with his top members. Elsewhere, royalties, prime ministers, and people of all kinds of ranks and power held their own meetings. Even the UN held its own emergency conference, with some holding video conferences.**

"Mr President!" one of them roared, slamming down his own pile of paperwork like an actual fist. "This makes no sense!"

"No time for a clear plan!" another shouted, slamming his own actual fist. "We need to declare state of emergency in California, now!"

"The whole world now knows about this!" yet another boomed. "This is an ACTUAL history in the making!"

"We need our top scientific minds to explain this phenomenon," a calmer person uttered. "Get Paperclip on the phone."

"We need to quarantine California once again!" another asserted.

"This is NOT World War II!" more people roared.

It was mayhem, and all Abel did was to put his head in a facepalm.

However, it was not just the US that was interested in the new island.

* * *

"Mr. President!"

He was meeting with his own emergency council, and it was almost just like that of the US, except for one thing.

"The good news is," one of them declared, giving thumbs-up. "Is that numerous drug cartels have finally left our country!"

"The bad news!" another argued. "Is that they all are going to the New Cal en masse!"

"Now this is trouble!" yet another groaned. "The US is making efforts to declare it as their own, even calling it 'New Cal'! This is imperialism, on par with that of Trump!"

"Don't mention Trump!" more voices declared.

"This is NOT an argument about Trump," the President of Mexico shouted. "It's about the New-ahem! The new island! There is no time to argue about who occupies it; we need to take it as our own!"

"But how?" a female leader moaned. "Our military is inferior to that of the US!"

"But!" a clever-looking man noted. "The island is actually closer to our country, specifically to the region of Baja California!"

"But the US will do whatever it wants!" another roared.

The President of Mexico put his hands into a facepalm.

* * *

"We are finally free from the EU!"

"So we must set our eyes on there!"

"And be called the 'Second British Empire,' again?"

The Queen of the United Kingdom was in her own secret meeting, with the Prime Minister. Both of them put their hands in a facepalm.

* * *

"We are the European Union!"

"But that island is not in European territory!"

All members of the institutions of the European Union met under a single building, which was kept hidden. In a rare move, all members of the European Commission, the European Council, the Council of the European Union, and the European Parliament met together. Normally, each institution was relatively independent, but the discovery of the island sent shockwaves throughout the world.

"But remember the Senshadou school ships?" one of them declared.

"Of course!" numerous voices boomed. "We can use them!"

"But the US will call it imperialism!" another shouted.

"But we have to do something!" more objected.

"We need to negotiate properly!" a representative of Germany grunted.

"And how to protect the negotiation," a representative of France frowned.

A representative of Italy just ignored, shaking his head.

"But this will be crazy," a representative of Finland fretted.

Three of the main officials put their hands in a facepalm.

* * *

"We own it!" one of the officials declared inside of a secret council. "Because our girls are in there!"

The Emperor of Japan and the Prime Minister of Japan all were present, in their own heated debate and uproar.

"Just as the Americans planted a flag on the Moon," one of the men boomed. "So we must take it as our own!"

"That is imperialism!" one of them objected.

"It's not!" another argued. "It's restoration of the glory of Japan!"

"And send the wrath of the US upon us?" another groaned.

"But we have to do something!"

The Emperor and the Prime Minister both put their hands in a facepalm.

* * *

"This is our chance to rise!"

Another national secret assembly took place, as the Communist Party of China met to discuss the nature of the island. This time, the only person to speak was the President, who also was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, and the Chairman of the Central Military Commission. Thus, he was a "paramount leader," so that even the Premier, the actual head of government, sat down to let him talk.

"We are the _Zhōngguó_ ," he declared. "Or the Middle Kingdom, the Central State of the world! Finally, after years after years, we have the chance to rise!"

"But what about the US?" asked one of the members.

 **"We have the prophecy!" he declared. "One of the ancient oracle bones, which we have hidden from everyone else, even the Western experts, foretells of a time when the _Sì Xiàng_ , the Four Symbols, shall appear on the face of the Earth, in order to awaken the Yellow Dragon."**

Massive applause ensued, as only the 888 people inside of the secretive chamber knew about the prophecy.

"We the real Center of the World will rise!" the President declared. "And while we friends, we are not afraid. As long as we do this in secret, we will finally show the world who's the real, true, LEADER of the Earth!"

Euphoric roars ensued, as the President continued.

"And," he roared, slamming his stand. "Our thousands and millions shall march on, showing the world the might of the ancient China, who neglected the sense at showing the world its true power. But now, we have a once-in-a-lifetime moment to shine! Our troops, our planes, everything-even our tanks...SHALL RISE ABOVE THE WORLD!"

More roars erupted, and a massive applause boomed.

"But," one of them noted, as the crowd calmed down. "I found something."

"Hmm?" the President asked.

The lone member walked up towards his superiors, handing them a piece of paper.

"Our secret intelligence agents," he said. "Intercepted a message."

The President and the Premier both looked at the paper. Both men made a facepalm.

"Oh no..." both groaned.

* * *

"We got intel," a stern voice grunted. "China is making its way."

A rather gloomy room, lit by a few lights, boomed with the grunts and whispers of a number of men and women. It helped that an intense blizzard outside covered the windows, as well as knocking out a few electrical connections, forcing the people to use a few lights that used batteries and other sources of energy.

However, they were stern not because of the mood, but because of the news.

"Our spies have finally infiltrated our Chinese neighbor," one of the tall, robust men declared, handing the President a pile of documents and a single envelope. "Our suspicions are confirmed."

"So," the President said. "Our bishops were not seeing things; they really did have a vision. I should have trusted them more. My apology, Your Holiness."

"Worry not," the Patriarch of Moscow said. "Even I was skeptical, but decided to trust after a long time of prayer. Now, it is clear; the so-called Middle Kingdom is seeking to become the 'Middle' of everything in the world."

"And the only way to overcome that," said a woman, who was the third tallest of everyone in the group; indeed, only two men were taller than her, and they were not even the President or the Prime Minister. "Is to get to the island before the Maoists do."

"And find these Four Symbols and the Yellow Dragon," said another, who was the tallest of them all. "But what should we do to them?"

"Sir!" a secret agent slammed in, opening the doors with passion. Panting, he limped towards his superiors.

"M-M-Mr. President!" he coughed, handing him a single piece of paper.

"Hmm?" the President read the paper. The Prime Minister and the Patriarch of Moscow also looked together.

All three put their hands in a facepalm.

"We've been betrayed..."

* * *

"Sir!"

A man still dressed in his Russian outfit stumbled in, barely safe.

"Finally," one of the men in a Guy Fawkes mask said in a calm, powerful voice. "You have it?"

"Here!" he panted, giving him everything he had. "Finally got the information for you Anonymous folks!"

"Call us Anons," the leader said, grabbing the bag and searching its inside. "Hmm, got it."

He then took a phone, and dialed.

"From the UN?" he called.

"Hmm? Ah! You guys...be careful with calling me. I don't want the UN to get suspicious."

"We have something that even the UN will want to know..."

The spy, still in his Russian uniform, put his hands in a facepalm.

"Is this knowledge even worth spreading the world...?"

* * *

"It's settled."

The emergency meeting took over three hours, but by then, it was done.

"Ahem!" Abel Benford said, checking his notes. "So, what we know is this:

"The New Cal is an island that suddenly formed off the coasts of both California of the US, and the Baja California and Baja California Sur of Mexico. Hence, geographically, we Americans and our neighbor Mexicans are the most likely to annex the lands. The Mexicans will be alarmed, for we have both the economic and military capacity to colonize the island, an unprecedented move since the earliest days of the US. Even our Founding Fathers may have never expected something like this, but enough history."

He cleared his throat, and continued:

"But the one thing that we can do, that everyone else knows, is that we can plant a nuclear missile platform."

He stopped, as murmurs ensued.

"And we have just built it."

"WHAAATTT!?"

"Yes," Abel stuttered, even wiping his forehead. "Un...unfortunately, some of my military superiors, knowing that there...aren't any rules against colonizing...a...ahem! As the Bible said:

 **"Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint, from Proverbs 29:18. In other words: the New Cal was open, free territory, and some of my military superiors essentially colonized a huge swath of land. We hear reports of numerous factions suddenly popping up all around New Cal. But our current base was able to thwart multiple invasions, using a nuclear missile platform."**

"But that will spread radiation!" a secret agent roared, shaking his head.

"Actually," Abel said. "No."

"Huh?!"

"You guys may not want to admit this," he continued. "But the island is magical, so its strange nature actually somehow eliminates the radioactive nature of our nuclear warheads. Even better, since it is a new land, we do not have to worry about any international condemnations, because **it is a new state**. Still, I am amazed at how strong and fast our military is..."

"Ahem!" one of the secret agents cleared his throat.

"Ah, sorry," Abel said, continuing. "This island also is mysterious, in that even our best satellites cannot penetrate its...force field or smoke or something."

 **Murmurs ensued, but he was right. All nations' satellites, even spy ones, were unable to determine the island's true size or even what was on it. Weeks ago, both Russia and China claimed to know its size, but the news was really a ploy, throwing most people off. Now, it was essentially a race against time for most nations involved.**

"Although the UN requested a meeting to get all nations to meet up," he continued. "We obviously know that the meeting alone will take weeks to even gather, and most of us know that 'time is gold.' We need to do something, before other nations can finally take it over. While I am no fan of colonizing a land, not when I want to avoid history repeating, **this land is far too important to lose**."

"We already have military communications and combat stations established. Man, we are so good at this...which leads me to an obvious statement: other nations will do what it will take to do something about it. Already, I have reports that we have at least three of these colonies, which are currently under martial law, which is causing tensions."

"And our CIA and other anonymous reports confirm our suspicions: some of our Marines, SEALs, and other soldiers have been attacked, even killed, by strange beings or...monsters of sort. While some are unquestionably humans, others have been attacked by what appeared to be mutant animals. Yes, this sounds like something out of science fiction books, but this is serious. The lives of our own people are in danger, and we need to move fast. If the only way is to colonize, then we will have 'speak soft and carry a big stick.' However, if all goes well, then the island of New Cal should be easy to negotiate among the peoples of the world.

"Some of our secret agents have apparently tried to cover this whole incident up...but there is no point. The so-called Fall of California drew attention to a mysterious lab experiment, happening without our official authorization. Fortunately, some members of the former PAMC..."

Murmurs echoed audibly, as a formerly prestigious corporation was now exposed and went bankrupt.

"...have given us crucial information, that allowed us to discover that they were trying to 'end human suffering' of sort. Well, ironically, it not only caused suffering, but also created an island unlike anything we have ever seen."

"Long story short, our overall mission is this: discover the very TRUTH of the matter, not only of the island of New Cal, but also the fate of the Senshadou girls from the Japanese school ships."

"We have one of them in custody," one of the secret agents declared, clearing his throat. "And I suspect that the others are, too, under their own sponsor nations."

"What about the JSF and the rest of the League?" another asked.

"They're under UN watch," a robust man sighed. "And are still not allowed to leave for some reason."

Murmurs echoed.

"And what about everybody else?" asked a small, bespectacled woman.

Abel sighed, and put his hands into a facepalm.

"It's complicated."

* * *

"Sir," a man talked in a darkened hallway.

"This is NSF," another one whispered. "Why keep it private?"

"Is the island..."

An audible sigh echoed.

"I feel you," the man admitted. "Our scientific method and everything...if I thought the use of tanks for sport was insane, this is beyond understanding."

Both men put their hands in a facepalm.

* * *

"This is a sign from God!"

A preacher at a mega-church, packed full, roared.

"We the people of Africa!" he continued. "We the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria have seen what's going on. This is a sign of God finally expressing his might in the world!"

The crowd roared.

"But!" he said with a sigh, putting his hand in a facepalm.

"Our neighbors..."

* * *

"We now begin the meeting of the African Union," said a speaker.

He was speaking an a secret meeting, inside of an undisclosed location, but it looked like a chamber house, with very heavy steel doors.

"We now meet at Addis Ababa of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia," he declared. "That this is history in the making: the island that formed off the coasts of the American continents. Specifically, off the southwestern areas of California, we have the island that is said to be a sign from God above. Now, we host this emergency meeting: what to do with the island."

He put his hands in a facepalm.

"And complicated by our relations with others..."

* * *

"My brothers and sisters!" a preacher spoke into numerous microphones, addressing a colossal crowd.

Over two million people crowded into a single road, hearing the preacher roar. They had all kinds of paint over the faces and bodies. Numerous, colorful statues of Vishnu, Shiva, Ganesha, Parvati, Lakshmi, Durga and various others towered over the masses.

"The Island of the New Beginning has arisen!" he declared. "Now is the time for a new era of paradise, the Satya Yuga!"

The crowd roared.

"Guru!" a young girl squealed.

"What is it, my dear?" he asked casually, unfazed but smiling as he took her up.

"What is the Satya Yuga?" she asked.

Some people in the audience giggled.

"The Satya Yuga," he explained. "Is the first and best of the four Yugas, or the eras of the world of Earth. We currently live in the Kali Yuga, or the Dwapara Yuga, depending on experts. However, this is a history in the making!"

The crowd roared again.

"So," she said again. "What about our neighbors?"

The preacher put his right hand in a facepalm.

"Ah," he groaned. "Those Muslims..."

* * *

"Allah has spoken!"

An imam, a type of religious leader, boomed from his pulpit, as the faithful gathered.

"The island has arisen!" he declared. "Finally, after all these years, there is now hope for redemption of our lands. We have the opportunity to finally rise out of our situation!"

A murmur of agreement echoed.

"But," he sighed, putting his hands into a facepalm.

"The Israel..."

* * *

"Brothers and sisters!" a general boomed, as he faced a regiment of the Israel Defense Forces.

Next to him, a rabbi nodded in stern silence, with his tefillin in hand and reading from a scroll.

 **"The whole world now knows about the island," the general declared. "I will get to the point: the island has resources beyond our wildest dreams. Our enemies will exploit that to try and overcome our defenses. This is our homeland, Israel. We need to defend it at all costs."**

"Roger!" everybody roared.

"We have sent a secret group to infiltrate the island," he continued. "We hope that all will go well."

"But sir," one of the soldiers asked, raising his hands. "What about others?"

"Hmm?" he asked. "Which one?"

"Eh..." he fidgeted. "Vatican?"

The general put his hands into a facepalm.

"Oh no," he groaned. "You made a great point; they're already on the way..."

* * *

"Your Holiness," said a hooded man, talking in the shadow.

"You do not need to hide," said white-clad man, in his throne-like chair.

"I have to," he whispered. "Your Holiness, I have good news and bad news."

"Go on."

"The good news: we have sent our own agents into the island."

"And?"

"The bad news: there is a lot of demonic influence over the lands."

"Can you purify it?"

"We are in the process."

"Go."

The hooded man walked away, as if merging with the shadows. The pope then sighed, putting his hands into a facepalm.

"Choices, choices," he groaned. "God Almighty, may you be ever glorified, and the rock of Christ rise."

* * *

"Friends, brothers, and sisters," a pastor spoke, his voice echoing in the mountains.

He stood on top of a boulder, his casual but collared shirt almost glowing in blues and whites, as his congregation below sat on various boulders and chairs.

"We now are here to declare," he said. "That we must flee to the island."

The crowd sighed. About 100 men, women, and children were around.

"I know," he admitted. "We Christians are still struggling. For years and years, we have been taught to never mess with magic, since it is the power of the devil. However, we suddenly have this magic...which means that we have a moral crisis here. On the one hand, we can deny this, and leave the congregation. Many have done so, only to not only retain magic, but also be caught by the authorities. On the other hand, like us here, we decide to retain magic, but learn to pray and ask God for guidance, as we go through these hard times."

"How is this hard?" asked a young boy. "Check this out!"

He picked up a pebble, and threw it high up into the air. He then held his hands out, as if summoning something. His hands glowed a baby blue color. The pebble floated in the air, and moved around like an avatar in a video game.

"Stop that!" his mother hissed. "Do not mess with-"

"He makes a good point," the pastor declared. He disappeared, then teleported right in the middle of the congregation. Nobody was surprised; he had already done it before.

"Son," he said, picking up the floating pebble and putting it down. "You are right about that, and we have been struggling. After weeks of consideration, we decide to move. We now must move."

The crowd mumbled.

"But we will happen to us?"

His right hand approached his face, but he held back. Instead of a facepalm, he put his hands together.

 **"Lord God," he boomed, as the rest of his congregation emulated. "We do not know why this is happening. But please, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Please, remember us as we move on. So, whether we eat or drink or whatever we do, please help us. Help us to do it all for your glory. Right now, we put our lives in your hands, as we finally move to the island.**

He wept.

"Please God," he sniffed. "Help us..."

* * *

"Help us," a lone, long-haired woman stood on the front deck, the boat dreary and rocking along the harsh waves.

"Miho, stay alive. Save me, save us, save Senshadou..."

* * *

 **Well-well...the whole world is in uproar.**

 **And wow, I managed to publish this chapter after only about two days; I must really like this.**

 **If you want any nation to appear, let me know.**

 **Please not only review, but also message him if you want to see a specific nation appear. If you do, then I may have a story arc dedicated to that nation, just as I did with the Nuroks in their own arc.**

 **I give a shout-out to:**

 **-commanderstarscream123 for his realistic story scene of how an outsider will react to seeing a TV report.**

 **-Trex98 for his opinion on how other countries will react.**

 **-The Blue Dragoner for his ideas on how specific nations and even scientists will react.**

 **-der Jagdexperte for his realistic opinions about specific nations, especially Germany and the UK.**

 **-Ghost recon- Bryan Uzimaki for his comprehensive world-building ideas.**

 **-Anime Psychologist for his realistic ideas about the difference in reactions between First World and Third World countries towards New Cal.**

 **Well then, panzer vor!**


	12. Chapter 12: The Inside World

**SeekerMeeker again.**

 **Yes, you thought that the reaction of the world was crazy? How about inside New Cal?**

 **This chapter will introduce some "minor" factions, which should play an important role in at least one chapter. Some may become major as time goes on, so you all have to see...**

 **Ehehehehe...**

 **Ahem!**

 **Now, let us begin:**

* * *

 **Note: the "*****" is basically me censoring a word. I do NOT like to use profanity, even when the circumstance justifies it.**

 **More note: these may not be the only factions that will appear, but this chapter connects with the previous.**

* * *

 **Girls Wild Rise**

 **Chapter 12: The Inside World**

 **A month since the emergency meetings worldwide...**

 **Inside New Cal in various places**

"AYAK?" a man dressed in an all-white robe, his face covered by a white mask, asked, eyeing a rookie suspiciously.

"Eh..." the young man cleared his throat, then attempted to answer. "A...AKIA!"

The man nodded.

"And what do they mean?" he asked.

"Eh..." the new member hesitated. "Ah! AYAK is a password for 'Are You a Klansman,' while AKIA is 'A Klansman I Am.' Man, it's hard to remember all of these secrets."

"I understand," the man at the gate said. "Ah, the Imperial Wizard is going to speak. Come."

The two entered, and a huge crowd talked among themselves.

"And remember that I am a Hydra," the man told the rookie.

"Hydra?"

"Ah," the Hydra replied, clearing his throat. "A Hydra is one of the Real officers, so we are like leaders under the Imperial Wizard and his associates."

"My Klan!" a huge voice boomed.

Everybody fell silent, as the members all looked at the platform. A man dressed just like a noble wizard appeared, with two guards standing side-by-side. His colossal, white hat with extremely wide brim appeared too large for his head; it did not help that the hat's brim had what looked like hanging threads, covering his face like a silky curtain.

"My Klansman," he declared. "A new age has finally begun. Too many of our groups have been divided, too divided to oppose the direction of our country. The so-called multiculturalism, promote by the International School Ship Federation, has ruined our country's unique heritage. Now, we rise with this new island. We shall rise and finally retake our America!"

Everybody cheered.

"For the Klan!" the Wizard roared with the crowd. "For the true, united **Ku Klux Klan of New Cal**!"

* * *

"We seek the monsters that others fear," an extremely muscular man marched, his robust figure rampaging calmly through the snow.

"We chase the nightmares that haunt you weak Athenians," he continued his own monologue, as he trampled through the white fields, unfazed by the rising level of snow. "The deadlier the prey, the stronger we become. We fight them and we-"

"Honey," said a very tall woman, who touched his left shoulder, which was covered by a massive pauldron.

He sighed in defeat.

"You are the reason why I am not a monster," he said, but smiled as he turned to gaze at his wife.

She was as beautiful as she was buxom and robust. Easily mistaken for an Amazon, his wife smiled, as her flawless skin almost glowed in the sunlight above.

"But," she said, inspecting her giant battleaxe. "It's good to show the world who we are now."

"Ever since we came upon the island," he said. "We are now stronger and better than ever. Now, we can finally fight off the infidel immigrants."

"You mean save Europe from the onslaught of terrorist immigrants," she said, frowning. "Can't believe that while non-whites are being welcomed, we whites are treated like the scum of the Earth."

"And scum we are," he groaned, as his comrades started to appear from behind. "No more."

A massive trumpet sound erupted, as a horde of colossal mammoths appeared.

"We are now a new people," he said, as he continued his march, his giant sword on his left shoulder pad, while his wife followed behind smiling. "We are the **Warriors of Norden**."

* * *

"The Lost Cause," a man dressed like a survival expert sauntered through a field, rather casually.

Despite his confident gait, he was armed to the teeth. Wearing a cowboy hat, except fortified with some leather of sort, he wore it like a helmet. His trimmed beard gave his face a noble demeanor, as he marched with little effort. His body was covered from neck to feet in what looked like a stereotypical battle suit, a combination of a hunter's uniform and a military soldier. However, it was gray with a symbol of white, red, and blue etched on the heart side of his torso.

"We feel lost," he mused, as he ended up in a grassy field, marching confidently. As he continued, he sniffed the air, pretending to ignore it. Seconds ago, the wind blew at his back, so that he picked up a faint scent. Then, the wind reversed, but he already knew what was going to happen.

He cocked his rifle, which appeared to be a customized variant and fusion of a shotgun and a semi-automatic gun. He then turned around, and fired.

Boom-boom-boom!

"Caugh-eek-haw!" a strange croak erupted from about a hundred meters away.

Casually, he grunted as he came upon his predator-turned prey.

"I believe that scientists call this," he mused, inspecting it. "Hmm..."

He shrugged, as his comrades started to appear en masse.

"That's not important," he decided.

"Johnny Reb!" one of them loudly joked, as he and his group met up with the lone hunter. "How was the fight against the Yankees?"

"No Yankees," he remarked. "Just a weird mammal-reptile thing, but I am safe now. No, we are all safe now."

He smiled, as a flag fluttered in the wind. It bore a red background with a blue X. Inside of the X were 13 white stars.

"We are now alive and well," he smiled. "We are the neo-Confederates, the **Dixiecan Republic**."

* * *

"For centuries, we have seen nations rise and fall," a robust man in plated armor, cover him head to toe, mumbled to his army. "And look at our former nation."

He stood, as his red cape blazed in the sunlight. His helmet covered parts of his face, but did not dim his sharp blue eyes, as he stared at the horizon on the coast. His helmet appeared to be based on some ancient armor, with a fancy crest.

"Has fallen into madness of both money and malice," he continued his monologue, ranting at his force. "Greece is in disrepair still, even now. It is a slave, a slave to forces beyond its control."

"But!" he roared, raising his strange spear, which had the head of a trident, except that the trident's head also bore ax-heads. "We are now redeemed and restored to our former glory!"

"A-roo!" his soldiers roared in agreement.

"We are to never retreat!"

"A-roo!"

"We are to never, ever, surrender!"

"A-roo!"

"To attack to the very death of even Death!"

"A-roo!"

"What should we do, then?"

"We fight for freedom!" his soldiers roared.

"We stand and fight!" he roared, as he spotted them.

A huge force of monstrous creatures in heavy, black armor appeared, stampeding towards them.

"And refuse to back down!" the leader roared. "Men! Women! Allies!"

They all rallied and grouped together, with giant, round shields up and ready. The strange beings started to appear, and the leader barked an order.

"Fire!"

In the middle of each shield, various holes appeared. Most of them opened up and fired small shells, which ripped into the enemies. Some of them, however, opened up to reveal horrific faces, which screamed and fired soundwaves, which petrified some of the enemies.

"Fire!"

The soldiers then raised their spears, which fired missiles. These then homed in, destroying even more.

"We are the freedom fighters!" the leader roared.

He then drew out a gigantic javelin, which looked more like an over-sized sarissa, and threw it with an ornate atlatl. The javelin rocketed through the air, piercing through a long line of enemies, before detonating into a massive explosion.

"And tonight!" he roared, as the remaining enemies to started to converge.

"Give them nothing!"

The enemies drew closer.

"But take from them!"

They were only a hundred meters.

"Everything!"

They were a stone's throw away.

"For the **New Sparta**!"

* * *

"We are tired of being victims," a single woman stood, walking back and forth on a stage. "We are tired of being victims!"

"Yes!" a massive crowd, surrounding the stage, roared.

"We are tired of being another Trayvon Martin!" she screamed into her megaphone.

"Yes we are!" the crowd rumbled.

"We are tired of being Michael Brown!"

"Yes we are!"

"We are tired of being betrayed!" she roared. "By a world that still seeks to oppress us!"

"Yes we are!"

"Look at my skin!" she roared, raising her hands and facing the Sun.

Her golden-brown skin radiated in the sunlight, and the crowd roared. Some of them, however, covered their faces with black bandanas.

"We are the face of a new age!" she declared. "An age where whites are no longer the oppressors! A world where we are free from white domination! And age where white-dominated businesses like the International School Ship Federation!"

She deliberately paused, letting the crowd jeer and boo at the name.

"And at the US government!"

More boos bellowed.

"And at the UN!"

The crowd continued its response.

"And not even the JSF!" she screamed. "The government is bringing in more guns into our ***** land, when we finally won so much against guns! No!"

"No!" the crowd roared.

"We finally are here in New Cal!" she screamed. "We are the face of the new future!"

"We are the BLACC!" everybody screamed.

"What is BLACC?" she roared.

"Black Lives Act, Call, and Cry!" the crowd boomed. "We will never be patient. We will never be silenced. We will never stop, until we rise!"

"We rise and shine!" the leader roared. "We are the **BLACC**!"

* * *

"We are here now," a voice boomed.

 **A massive crowd surrounded the lone speaker, as a strange gate pulsed with energy. Suddenly, it flashed and a portal opened, and lines after lines of people streamed out.**

"We finally have a home," the man spoke, his voice booming. "A home away from the rich, the West, and everything that is against the Dharma, the ancient code of our people. We have finally found a refuge."

The crowd cheered, as the members welcomed the newcomers.

"We have opened up a portal," he continued. "And it is thanks to Vishnu, Shiva, and all of the gods who opened it...we are now home!"

Everybody cheered, as some people lavished flowers and all kinds of decorations upon the giant statues of gods.

"But listen," he boomed, and the crowd grew silent. "We must never show them the portal, or else the whole world will be alarmed. We must keep this a secret, until the right time comes. Then, we will show the world who we truly are!"

The crowd roared.

"We are the Defenders of the Dharma!" he bellowed. "We the people from India and other enclaves of Dharma: we are the **Dharma Rashtra**!"

* * *

"Beijing has spoken," said a man in red, speaking to a colossal crowd. "Finally, we are here."

The crowd roared in agreement.

"Finally," he declared. "On behalf of our homeland, we have finally created a brand new home! One still connected to our Kingdom, but one that will help it rise above anyone else!"

The crowd bellowed.

"The Party has declared as true," he continued. "That now, we are finally on the path to rise, rising above the White House!"

The crowd roared.

"And finally!" he boomed, pointing at something.

Everybody looked.

 **"The portal has finally opened!" he declared to applause. "After tracking down the stupid Indians, we have discovered their knowledge of the gate. After a hard battle, we have finally acquired it!"**

 **The crowd bellowed and cheered, not realizing that he was telling...a half-lie.**

"And now!" he declared, as streams of people flooded out of it. "We now can help China rise again!"

The crowd roared.

"For we are the people of the working and peasant class!" he boomed to applause and roar. "We are part of China, which shall bear a new name: **Zhongua**!"

* * *

"Men!"

An enormous army, divided into regiments and corps alike, stood in front of a massive building.

"We have finally come here!" he spoke in a Mexican accent. "Now, after acquiring some tech from the PAMC before it fell apart, we have finally set here!"

The whole army boomed into roars and applause.

"Free from the thralls of the US and Mexico!" he boomed into his microphones. "We are now free, finally free at last!"

Everybody clapped and cheered.

"Now," the speaker grunted. "Unto business for our **Cartel de Supremo**. We need to ship more drugs."

* * *

"We are finally here," said the Prophet.

He gazed into his own audience, inside of a colossal building reminiscent of an ornate temple, or even a cathedral.

"We are now free from the prying eyes of the US government," he declared. "And the original Church, as envisioned by our true prophets, Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, has been led astray. Now, we are in a true apocalypse, one where we will rise above the rest. We are the true people of God!"

The crowd rose, bowed, then bellowed:

"Amen!"

"We are the true Christians," the Prophet continued. "Followers of the True Way of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day! Those so-called Mormons have betrayed the faith! Hence, we are all to be called by a new name!"

"Amen!" the audience boomed.

"We are," the Prophet declared, gazing into his audience with arms open wide. "The Grand State of **Neutah**."

* * *

"Salute!"

A large number of men lined up, in dark but clean military uniforms. The black-and-silver surfaces glittered in the sunlight above, as the forces all stared, innately idolizing their leader.

"Today we unite!" the leader roared. His golden hair cascaded down to his neck, partially covering his piercing blue eyes.

"We have now the power!" he declared, his ornate uniform blazing in the sunlight. However, a single shade from a nearby tree hanged over his figure.

"Yes we do!" the men saluted in response.

"We have now the land!"

"Yes we do!"

"We have now the freedom!"

"Yes we do!"

"The freedom!" he roared, pointing at a huge, red flag behind him. "To live for our True Leader!"

"Yes we do!"

The flag fluttered in the wind, which felt a little intense. In the middle of the flag was a large, yellow circle. However, its golden color was marred by a single...black swastika.

"We are!" he boomed, letting his army roar.

"We are the New True Socialists for the True Nation!" the men roared. "We are the **Nazeons**!"

* * *

"Heheheh..." a voice cackled.

Rip!

Strip!

Crunch!

"It is time."

* * *

 **Here you go.**

 **Now, please review and choose your favorite faction from this list to appear. I want to see what people want to see. Since the FanFiction profile allows only one poll (I have a new poll up, so please vote), here please not only review, but also add your favorite faction and justify WHY you want me to take time to focus on it.**

 **Once again, please check the poll on my profile page, and vote for two choices.**

 **And whenever you review, choose your favorite faction to appear, and why:**

* * *

 **-Ku Klux Klan of New Cal**

 **-Warriors of Norden**

 **-Dixiecan Republic**

 **-New Sparta**

 **-BLACC**

 **-Dharma Rashtra**

 **-Zhongua**

 **-Cartel de Supremo**

 **-Neutah**

 **-Nazeons**

* * *

 **And something fun: try and guess what each faction is based on (some are obvious...).**

 **I will post the answers in the next chapter.**

 **Thank you, and panzer vor!**

 **(Yes, the girls will appear again.)**


	13. Chapter 13: The Reveals

**Greetings from SeekerMeeker.**

 **The answer to what the factions are is below the chapter.**

 **And this is a nice transition chapter, hopefully so.**

 **Now, the journey continues!**

* * *

 **Girls Wild Rise**

 **Chapter 13: The Reveals**

 **In a savanna...**

 **3:00 PM; November 28, 20XX**

 _"Miho, stay alive."_

 _Rip!_

 _"Save me."_

 _Strip!_

 _"Save Senshadou..."_

 _Crunch!_

* * *

"Miporin!"

"Miho-san."

"Nishizumi-dono!"

"Nishizumi-san."

"Miho!"

"Eh?"

* * *

Miho woke up, shaking her head.

"Another dream?" Mako inferred with a concerned eye.

Everybody in the tank was staring at Miho, who had dozed off into a nap. While sleeping, she mumbled something, then twitched, sparks of energy flying in the air. It was because of this that her friends woke her up.

"Ah!" Miho responded with a small giggle. "Sorry to bother you. Yes, I had a dream."

Noticing the sparkles, she dusted herself, and the lights faded away.

"What was your dream?" asked Saori.

She was not alone.

"Sounds scary!"

"Oh! Was that a prophecy?"

"Come on!"

Miho giggled, as the other teammates voiced their concern through the radio. Now that she thought about it, the radio still worked.

"Are you curious?" she asked.

The others nodded, while others screamed in the affirmative. She then described her dream, checking her throat mic to make sure that it was working.

* * *

"This one was very short," Miho said. "I remember little, except for hearing my mother's voice and some...crunching noises."

The mood inside the tank suddenly dampened.

"Cheer up!" Saori said. "At least we have hope! Look, five of our eight teams are safely here!"

"But the dream was scary," Mako shook. "Especially the crunching noise parts."

"Must be some sort of a foreshadowing?" Anzu lazily asked, munching on her dried sweet potato chips.

"In hoc signo vinces," said Caesar.

"Eh?" the others asked.

 **"Under the sign you will conquer," explained Caesar. "As God supposedly told Constantine, leading to his victory in the Battle of Milvian Bridge against the forces of Maxentius, by inscribing Christ's symbols on shields."**

 **"That's right!" her teammates declared their usual catchphrase.**

 **Miho blinked, clutching her chest.**

"Man," Saori said. "You know, Miporin?"

"Hmm?"

"How are you so slim and athletic?" she asked. "Especially now that your chest is bigger?"

"Eh?!" she gasped, blushing. She clutched her chest, which felt bigger than expected.

"Ah," Mako said. "Now that you mention it, Nishizumi-san's chest is a lot bigger than usual."

Miho blushed even redder, as her friends stared at her.

"I-I am not that attractive," Miho waved off with her left hand.

"Miho-san!" Azusa interrupted the conversation (Miho sighed a little, glad to change the topic). "So, what do you think your dream meant?"

"Last time we heard your dreams," said Mako. "Yeah, now that Azusa-chan pointed out, your dreams were about the apocalypse, but..."

She shivered.

"...your dream now seems to talk about your mother," she finished, still shivering a little.

 **"Ah!" Miho uttered. "I remember a little more now! Before my mother's voice, I remember walking through some forest, then fighting against some enemies...I don't remember what or who they are, then our tank fired a shell, and then my mother's voice spoke."**

"So," Yukari said. "Something in the future?"

"Yes," Miho replied. "And it...sounds like something is going on. Although my mother's voice was clear, those crunching noises sounded like...biting and chewing."

Everybody else shivered, gulped, or sweated.

"Let's change the topic," Miho said, and this time, everybody was glad.

She went up the turret, and looked around, her hands down.

"Huh," Miho noted, checking her throat microphone. "Girls, can you put the tanks on auto-drive?"

"Eh?" some of them asked.

"There is a button," she explained. "Mako-san told this: find a diamond-shaped button with the word 'AUTO.' It should be there."

"Found it!" four voices replied.

"Press it," Miho said. "Then, all of us, please get out and look around."

"Eh?" a few pondered. "Wonder why..."

However, trusting their commander, all 22 girls went out of their tanks. Some, like Miho and Noriko, watched with all of their bodies out of the tanks. Some exposed only their torsos, while others only peeked out their heads.

They all gasped.

* * *

"Strange," Hana noted. "Even though we saw this before, this area feels...different."

Five tanks, on automatic drive, traversed a terrain, in which numerous trees dotted the lands evenly. Nearby rivers, however, trees formed massive, lush forests, while grasses and herbs covered wherever there were no trees. Thousands and millions of animals, from antelopes to elephants, cascaded throughout the plains. It was just another savanna...

...or so they thought.

In the flat areas, baobab trees dotted on the grassy fields. Farther away, but not very far away, the forests surrounded the rivers. However, behind the forest and on the hills, the trees looked familiar.

"Those are oaks," Mako noted.

"Oaks?!" multiple girls gasped.

 **"Wait a minute," Hana said with a small gasp. "Now that I remember from my lessons with my mother about flowers, baobabs are native to Africa, oak savannas are native to North America. Why are two types of savannas together in one area?"**

"That is strange," Miho pondered.

"Oak savanna?" asked Yuuki.

"Think of a savanna," said Mako. "Then, replace the African trees with oaks."

"That is..." Yuuki's voice trailed off. Although everybody knew oaks, the idea of oaks in a savanna setting sounded...weird.

The tanks continued to roam. This time, the tanks plowed through a huge field of colossal grasses, cracking the stems like mere sticks.

"They look like elephant grasses from India," Hana noted.

"Eh?!" the others gasped.

"Wait a minute..." Mako groaned. "I am no expert on nature, but I know that there is no way that an oak savanna, an African savanna, and a Indian grassland will be in the same area."

Suddenly, the girls found their tanks entering a dense forest, and Hana immediately recognized the trees.

"Eucalyptus!" she replied. "Native to Australia."

 **"OK!" Momo broke the silence with a shriek. "One moment we were in an African savanna, then we notice an oak woodland-thing from North America, went through a field of Indian grasses, and now we're in an Australian forest?! At least four different natural regions in one area, and we traveled only for miles! What kind of magical logic is this?!"**

"Kawashima-san," Miho said. "You make a great point."

"I did?!" she reacted, blushing. "N-never had anyone praised like that...in a while."

"What is this magical madness?"

The girls all turned to look at the one girl that nobody expected to talk.

"I mean," Saki said, staring at the giant trees. "This is so enchanting. Africa, then North America, then India, and finally, Australia. Think about it: this island is so...Edenic."

Her own teammates gawked. She rarely spoke, but speaking that much was...beyond belief.

"Ah!" Karina said. "Sa-Saki-san! Do you want something to e-eat?!"

"Calm down," Miho said. "Saki-chan, what do you mean?"

"This place is so like a paradise from a fantasy story," Saki replied.

"Fantasy..." some girls noted.

"Augh!" this time, it was Yukari's turn to scratch her head. "This is crazy! I love tanks! I love shells! I love everything military and logical! This is illogical beyond my own poor head!"

 **"Let's keep our heads," Miho said calmly, surveying the areas. "Even I have never known magic, only in stories, so we adapt and see what will happen."**

The tanks continued to march on. Chirps, whistles, and all kinds of noises sang throughout the canopy, as the girls sighed, awed, and took pictures.

"This is so great!" Aya noted, as she took pictures after pictures with her cell phone.

"Ah..." Saki moaned, as a butterfly flew over her.

Animals of all kinds scattered throughout, as Miho watched on.

"What animals inhabit Australia?" asked Saori. "Besides kangaroos and koalas?"

"You're asking the wrong girl," Mako said.

"Eh?!" Saori frowned. "You're the genius at school!"

"Being 'genius at school' does not mean being 'genius at survival,'" Mako retorted. "Remember? I am not an expert on nature. There are different types of being smart, you know?"

"Hold!"

Everybody stopped, as each driver went down to deactivate the auto-drive. The girls then stood still, as Miho looked around sternly.

"Oh," Miho said, giggling. She started to check her breasts.

"Umm..." the others asked.

"Sorry," Miho replied, blushing. "False alarm. Something jiggled inside my...chest."

"Miporin!" Saori groaned. "Don't alarm us like that!"

"What happened inside your chest?" Hana asked. "And your chest is bigger, much bigger."

"Eh..."

Everybody stared. Miho realized that she accidentally got into a topic that she wanted to avoid, again.

"Oh!" Yuuki cried out with an innocent smile. "Did I hear something?"

Miho silently clutched her chest, blushing. Mako then turned around to face Miho.

"Did you store something in your chest?" she blurted out the "forbidden question."

"Y-yes," Miho replied.

"Eh?! You use it to store something?!" multiple voices squealed!

"That's not typical of Miporin!" Saori gawked.

"Um..." Miho admitted. "My...pockets were too small, and...my bag was already full...so it was the only way."

"What did you store in there?" asked Mako.

"Mako!" Saori screamed. "Girls need some privacy, you know!"

"Th-that's alright," Miho said. "I stored a small Boko doll and a book inside."

The others blinked.

 **"That was it?" Saori asked. "Oh, sorry to bother you. But Hana is right; your chest is bigger than I expected."**

Miho looked down. She thought that her chest was big, because she used it to store two items. However, she realized that Saori was right; the reason why she managed to store them inside was...because her breasts were quite big. Although all girls who were Chosen became bigger and bustier, Miho noticed that her chest was a lot bigger than usual. Indeed, she wondered why.

"Eh..." Miho trailed off.

"This is another magical enchantment," Mako declared. "But...it did not make...yeah."

She trailed off, not wanting to reach the conclusion. Mako hoped that her own inference was wrong, since her chest was indeed larger, but not as large as she wanted.

"I-I assume that everybody got changed," Miho said, trying to reassure her friends. "I-I don't think that I have the biggest chest. O-onee-chan had a bigger chest."

"Really?" Anzu asked with a sneaky smile, as she stretched out a measuring tape.

"Eek!" Miho squeaked, trying to cover her chest.

"Kawaii~," a few girls noted Miho's behavior.

"Ahem!" Momo roared. "Let's stop with this nonsense and look around!"

"She's right," Miho said, looking up. "The scenery is...beautiful."

The girls stared up, and the trees and vegetation all around looked so verdant and lush.

"Wow..." the girls said in awe, drifting in thought.

Miho smiled, glad that the topic was changed again, but she stared around. Her mind started to wander about everything that happened...

* * *

 _Miho and her friends traveled on a barge to escape from California, and headed into New Cal._

 _There, they made landfall, and encountered New Cal's weirdness._

 _The girls entered a mouth of a river, after encountering some unusual animals._

 _Miho's team reunited with the Turtle Team..._

 _...then the Duck Team..._

 _...then the Hippo Team..._

 _...and finally the Rabbit Team._

 _Afterwards, the girls lost the barge, as they had to escape from a bizarre storm of magical craziness, and encountered the Nuroks._

 _The girls then entered Little Bighorn, the main area of the Nuroks._

 _The girls then learn to live with the Nuroks._

 _Suddenly, the girls suffered some mistreatment, only to rise up to help the Nuroks fight against the New Silicon._

* * *

"...so many things happened," Miho pondered, unaware of her friends staring at her. "Now, we are just traveling around."

Her dreamy eyes glanced her friends, snapping her out of her trance.

"Hmm?" she noticed. "What's wrong?"

Suddenly, she felt something clutch behind her back.

"...look," Saki said, not with a scared face, but with eyes of wonder.

Miho slowly but cautiously turned her head to look down. Her eyes gleamed, and so did the others'.

"Kawaii!" everybody screamed, as Miho squealed like a sweet little girl, as she gently patted the baby animal on her back. Squealing, it let Miho carefully take her off, and Miho held it in both of her hands.

"Kawaii," Miho squealed, staring at it.

"Yip-yip."

* * *

 **In the eucalyptus forest**

 **5:00 PM; November 28, 20XX**

"Where is its mother?" Yuzu asked.

The girls now set up camp at a nearby cave. Once again, the girls split into groups based on what they were doing:

The Duck girls went out to fish at a nearby river, where they were wrestling with giant fishes. The Hippo girls went out to hunt, while the Rabbit girls were gathering wild fruits and other foodstuffs. The Turtle girls all took charge of guarding the tanks.

Last but not least, the Anglerfish girls all were responsible for two things: preparing the camp kitchen, and...

"Kawaii," Miho said, hugging the koala joey.

The small koala squealed and whispered, as Miho let it climb on her chest. The little, gray animal looked so much like a teddy bear.

"Yip-yip," it squeaked.

Miho blinked, then looked at it closely.

"Oh," she noted. "It's injured."

"Eh?!" the others gasped.

"Saori-san," Miho said. "First aid."

"Here you go," Mako replied, holding the white kit out.

"When did you have it?" Saori asked in shock, as Miho nodded in gratitude and opened the kit.

"Just in case," Mako said.

All except Saori and Mako carefully took care of the joey, as Miho carefully separated the fur with two pairs of forceps, looking for any wounds. Saori and Mako both looked after the grills and food dehydrators.

Miho grimly nodded.

"It got scratches all over," Miho said seriously. "Get them."

Knowing what she meant, Yukari and Hana both took things out of the kit.

"Little koala," Miho said, putting a finger to her mouth. "This will hurt."

The joey blinked innocently.

"It really will," she said again, sniffing. "But it's important."

The joey blinked again, but as soon as a cotton swab with antidote touched its wound, it cried.

"Ahhhh-ooh! Ahhhh-ooh!" it whimpered, as it tried to get out.

"Kawaii..." all five girls moaned, as its cry clearly sounded like an actual baby crying.

"It hurts me," Saori sniffed. "Miporin, I admire your resolve."

"I do what I can," Miho said, sniffing. "Hold still."

The joey looked up at Miho, staring at her face. Then, Miho dabbed another wound with the swab. To her surprise, it winced, but did not cry. After dabbing all of the wounds, the girls then put bandages on.

"It looks so cute," the girls groaned, glad to be done with the "painful" process of treating the joey.

"Kawaii," Miho said, holding the joey up in the air. "It even looks like Boko!"

"Boko?" it suddenly spoke.

"Yes," Miho began. "Boko I...oh."

The girls stared at the joey, while a grill was starting to burn.

"Lost my mum," it groaned. "Want my mum..."

Miho and her friends were stunned, not because it was talking, but because it talked when it could have talked earlier. Sensing Miho's hands losing grip, it struggled out, then jumped on top of Miho's bosom.

"What's this black leaf?" it asked, trying to gnaw at the black ribbon.

"No-no," Miho said, which it obeyed. "It's not leaf."

"Do you have nipple?" it asked.

Miho and her friends stared, then they all looked at Miho.

"No-no!" Miho said. "I am not your mother."

"Yip...yip..." it cried. "Want my mum. At least you seem like mum."

The girls all sniffed. They could not tell whether to be in awe, or be sad.

"Don't worry," Miho said, patting it on the head. "We'll try and find your mother."

"Much obliged," it cried, snuggling into Miho's bosom.

"Eh?" the girls asked.

"Ah," the joey said, looking up at Miho. "You girls not Brits?"

"Brits?" the girls asked, then shook their heads.

"Brits bad," it groaned. "I mean 'thank you very much' for helping me. Mum got separated, while she tried to distract them."

"Brits..." Saori noted, then gasped. "British?!"

The girls blinked. Miho gasped.

"St. Gloriana?!" Miho asked, aghast.

"Wait," Hana began. "Are you sure-"

"Team!" Noriko's voice roared, as she and her team crashed in, quarry in hand.

"Wow-wow!" the girls gasped, shocked at the sudden entrance. Frightened, the joey then dug into Miho's cleavage, exposing its butt. It now looked like a gray fluffball between Miho's breasts.

"We have great news!" Noriko began. "And we have-kawaii!"

She turned fangirl, as she and her team dropped their carcasses to watch the ball of fur between Miho's chest.

"Aww!" the girls squealed. "Baby koala is snuggling in!"

"Eh..." Miho winced, as the koala was scratching at something.

"Where's the nipple?" it squicked.

"Aww," the Duck girls continued to fawn. "It's talking now."

The Anglerfish girls blinked.

"Talking?" Shinobu asked. "It's a talking koala!"

"So much cuter!" Akebi squealed.

"You said about great news," Miho said. "What news?"

"Ah!" Noriko said, shaking her head. "I already told everybody else! It's..."

* * *

 **On the edge of the eucalyptus forest**

 **6:30 PM; November 28, 20XX**

"You said that you saw the tracks of a tank?" Miho asked.

The girls all feasted, then after packing, followed the Duck Team. The Type 89 I-Go sputtered, as the girls were enthusiastically driving fast.

"Yes!" Noriko said, out of the cupola. "While hunting for it, we saw the tracks! We then marked it with a distinct tree trunk!"

"And did you color it?" asked Yukari, squealing with delight.

 _Finally!_ she thought. _A tank, and not another magical thing!_

"Yes!" Noriko said. "With lots of blood."

Silence.

"Oh..." Noriko said, realizing what she said. "Sorry; it should look obvious."

The girls kept traversing the plains, with trees and animals all around. A few animals were stalking the tanks.

"There!" Noriko declared after what felt like half an hour.

They all looked. A visible tree trunk, devoid of branches and colored dark, stood. The girls all came out, and went to the pole.

"And here it is!" Noriko said, pointing down to the ground.

The girls looked, and gasped.

"Fresh tracks!" Yukari squealed, checking the marks on the ground. "Good! They are fresh and clearly defined! The soil here is soft enough to allow marks behind!"

"What type of tank is it?" Azusa asked, looking at the tracks.

"Hmm," Yukari pondered. "It's a Crusader tank."

The girls gasped.

"St. Gloriana is here!" Mho gasped, as she and the others looked around.

"Crusader!" Yukari squealed with delight. "Finally! We now see a tank from-wait!"

Yukari blinked, as the others looked at her.

"Didn't they bring in a Churchill?" she asked. "Instead of a Crusader?"

"That's not important!" Erwin said, as she and the others started to rev the engines. "Let's find them!"

"Wait!" Miho gasped. "We don't know where the tracks go yet!"

"I think we don't have to," Mako said nonchalantly, her right hand pointing. "It's there."

The girls all looked. Far away was a forested hill. However, a small stream of smoke was coming out of it, and the tracks were going towards it.

"Let's go!" Miho commanded, as they all got onboard and drove as fast as possible.

Five tanks roared through the plain, traversing the grasses with zeal. After miles and miles of traveling, the girls stopped at the edge of the forest.

"So," Yukari began. "What should..."

They all looked around. The tracks suddenly disappeared, miles after they reached the hill. In fact, the tracks on the ground suddenly disappeared.

"Huh," Miho noted. "The tracks are now gone. Now that I think about it, our tanks leave behind tracks, but then they disappear afterwards."

"Magic-magic," Mako sighed.

"So," began Hana. "Where can we-"

"You're here."

A silhouette suddenly popped out of a nearby bush, startling all of the Ooarai girls. Immediately, a few of them, including Miho, summoned their weapons. Miho's sword flashed out, raised towards the silhouette.

"Have you heard the saying," a tired voice attempted to speak. "Good news from...distant land...cold water to a weary soul..."

"Proverbs 25:25," two voices spoke at once. One was from Miho, and the other was from a smaller silhouette, which stumbled through the vegetation.

The koala joey dug deeper into Miho's chest.

"Friends..." the blond-haired girl showed up, her face revealed by Miho's weapon light. "I am...so glad..."

"Darjeeling-sama!" multiple girls screamed, as the girl suddenly collapsed.

* * *

 **Alright, so here is the answer to each faction's origin:**

 **-KKK of New Cal (this one is obvious).**

 **-Warriors of Norden (inspired by the Vikings/Norsemen and Warriors of Odin)**

 **-Dixiecan Republic (fusion of Confederates and survival experts and fanatics)**

 **-New Sparta (obvious)**

 **-BLACC (Black Lives Matter, but radicalized)**

 **-Dharma Rashtra (Hindutva)**

 **-Zhongua (obvious)**

 **-Cartel de Supremo (drug cartels from the New World; see chapter 11)**

 **-Neutah (religious extremist version of Mormonism)**

 **-Nazeons (obvious)**

* * *

 **So yeah, a cliffhanger. I intended to introduce more, but I am pleased with how this chapter went.**

 **Please review etc., and check out Chapter 12, which has a disclaimer about my poll on my profile page. Thank you!**

 **(I need advice on whether the chapter was rushed. Plus, it had a small recap of all ten chapters, minus 11 and 12.)**

 **And yes, Miho's chest will be an important factor later.**

 **Let's keep calm and drink tea!**


	14. Chapter 14: Four-Shadowing

**Well, I hope that the cliffhanger from the previous chapter was interesting enough.**

 **Now, this is a chapter that functions somewhat like chapters 11 and 12, introducing more hints in the future.**

 **This time, it's FOUR-shadowing.**

 **Get it?**

 **Let us begin.**

* * *

 **Girls Wild Rise**

 **Chapter 14: Four-Shadowing**

 **A secret meeting underground...**

 **Washington DC, USA**

 **6:30 PM; November 28, 20XX**

"Sir."

"Yes?"

"We have good news and bad news."

"Hmm?"

"The good news is, ahem! We have captured the _Zuikaku_ , the flagship of the Ooarai Girls High School."

"That was already done weeks ago, and it was not even done by the US."

"..."

"Go on."

"The bad news is...all of the Senshadou Club members are not onboard."

"..."

"..."

"Sir."

"Yes?"

"Why Ooarai? Kuromorimine has a higher reputation. In fact, we have reports of them destroying enemies with ease."

"Have you seen what they did in the latest battles?"

"Kuromorimine?"

"No, Ooarai."

"Yes?"

"A school that had no experience with tank warfare, Ooarai, right?"

"...right."

"A no-name school suddenly rising up and defeating the infamous Kuromorimine, the best Senshadou club in the entire nation of Japan? What was that school? Ooarai. A small school that destroyed the internationally famous Selection University? Ooarai. And who led Ooarai to impossible odds? The younger daughter of the Nishizumi clan, Miho Nishizumi."

"And...?"

"And Mr. President personally invited her to come."

"With a letter."

"..."

"Sir?"

"Hmm?"

"What do all these have to do with keeping Ooarai under our control?"

"Not the town of Ooarai. The ship."

"Why?"

"We need a bait."

"The girls..."

* * *

 **At a corridor...**

 **Zuikaku Ooarai School Ship**

 **6:30 PM; November 28, 20XX**

"I cannot believe that we're doing this!"

A man with short, black hair and a faint moustache panted, glasses flashing a little from a nearby lightbulb. His face frowning, he stood before the unconscious body of an armed guard.

"Darling," his wife whispered, touching him to calm him down. "Hush, please control yourself. You had to do what you had to do."

He sighed.

"All this," he moaned. "Just to save our precious girl. At least he's knocked cold."

"Yukari is out there," the wife said. "We're doing this to escape this place."

Indeed, the wife had short, curly, and dark brown hair, much like Yukari herself.

"I know," he groaned. "My dear girl is missing. Augh!"

"Hush!" she whispered. "Please calm down. Let's go."

The couple then searched the man's uniform.

"Are we stealing?" he asked.

"No," she replied. "We're looking for any information that we don't know. This man is apparently one of those military folks, so he should have some kind of information..."

"That is classified," her husband finished the sentence, nodding in response.

They searched his body for any clues, rummaging through every pouch possible.

"Aha!" the man declared, taking out a piece of paper.

The two then read it. The man's expression went from happy to shock, while his wife...

"They..." she hissed. "How dare they..."

"Well," the husband whispered, clearing his throat quietly. "I believe that we need to keep this."

"If we cannot," said the wife, breathing deeply to try and calm down. "Then, we can do something to warn them."

"Come on," the husband said, giving the paper to her. "Let's go."

The couple then sneaked around, as they watched around for anyone.

"Man," he groaned. "Ooarai was never this...oppressive."

Indeed, he was right. When the carrier was attempting to enter the New Cal's waters voluntarily, a massive convoy of military aircraft and ships surrounded the school ship. Soon after, the entire ship was put under martial law, disrupting the whole livelihoods of the residents onboard. To make matters worse, the military onboard forced the ship to enter the waters of New Cal, causing the communications to go haywire. In essence, the military not only took control of the ship; it also isolated it from the rest of the world.

"Now we understand," the man groaned. "Why they were 'protecting' us."

"To find our girls," the woman admitted, seething a little with indignance. "But the paper has more; we better escape with this."

"All these so-called protection," the man groaned, as they continued to tiptoe at the edge of a specific deck. "Just to capture our girls. They're NOT-"

"Hush!" his wife warned him, cupping his mouth with her hands.

They were inside another corridor, with lights dim. They heard footsteps.

 _Tap..._

 _Tap..._

 _Tap..._

"Careful," the wife whispered, as the duo then tiptoed away from the noise.

Suddenly, a noise rang.

 _Crash!_

"Ouch!" a voice echoed, as the figure of a girl in Ooarai school uniform stumbled out. She had short, brown hair in a rather messy fashion, with two short pigtails. She looked like an Ooarai student, except with a red armband and a giant, black backpack. She took off her pair of black, semi-rimless glasses to inspect them.

"Careful!" two more figures appeared. They wore Ooarai uniforms, except with black armbands. Both had short, black hair, but cleaner and straighter than that of the girl with the red band.

"We need to be cautious!" one of them hissed at the red-banded girl. "Ou-san, we're trying to escape! After days of preparation, this is perhaps our last chance!"

"Girls!" the man whispered.

The three girls froze.

"Do-don't worry!" he whispered. "We're with you too! We're trying to escape too!"

The three girls stood still, uncertain of whether to trust him. He and his wife then revealed themselves under a brighter light. The man wore a white shirt with long sleeves, while his wife wore a lilac jacket that completed covered her torso and her arms. Both wore long, black pants.

"Ah..." the three girls sighed in relief. "You must be Yukari-san's parents."

"Akiyama Jungorou!" he declared with a bow. "And thanks for knowing my daughter!"

"Hush!" his wife teased him. "What are you, their friend? Jungorou-san?"

"Come on!" he teased her back. "Yoshiko-san!"

The girls giggled, but one of the girls spoke.

"Ahem!' she said. She was the one with very short, black hair, which was cleanly straightened and reached only down to her chin.

"I am Sadoka," she said. "I am a member of the Public Morals Committee. Due to the military, we lost our influence, and got really suspicious of everything around here."

"I am Mazoe," the other black-haired girl introduced herself. She had medium-length, black hair that resembled Sodoko. "I am also in the Morals Committee. We escaped, because the military got a little...too invasive in their questioning of us. They really were interested in what happened our leaders."

"Your leaders?" asked Jungorou.

"Sono Midoriko and her two associates," Sadoka replied. "And that's why we're trying to escape."

"Escaping now?!" Jungorou gasped. "But you are highschool girls!"

"We are!" Taiga shouted, causing the others to hush her. "Sorry!"

"Things are never peaceful now," Sadoka moaned with a sigh. "After suffering from curfews and rules too oppressive even for us, we decide to try and escape. Last night was the last straw; they invaded my private room, and hacked into my account, just to find anything associated with our leaders."

Although she said all this with a calm voice, the couple could tell that she was seething, as her fists were clenched visibly and shaking.

"But what really motivated you all to do so?" Yoshiko asked. "Other than being questioned?"

The two black-haired girls looked at Taiga.

"I remember seeing the Senshadou girls," she admitted. "In fact, I almost blurted out. However, as I was about to in a community meeting, someone accused me of knowing them. Suddenly, some soldiers stormed in, and accused _her_ of knowing them. She was immediately taken away for questioning. Since then, I believe that they are tracking down anyone with knowledge of the Senshadou Club. Indeed, my suspicions are confirmed when they imposed a new Student Council, which demanded that anyone who knows about the Club to step forward and report. Some stepped forward to tell them, only to be suddenly taken away."

"What is this?!" Jungorou groaned. "Is this how the US military function?"

"But wait!" Taiga said. "The military here did not look like those of the US military. I have seen pictures of them. These soldiers wore stranger armor, and looked more like robots than...humans."

The five people stood silent.

"We have to leave," Yoshiko said in a calm but serious voice. "Now."

Nodding to each other, the five people sneaked through the corridor. After checking around carefully, they came upon a door, with a sign:

EMERGENCY BOATS

"Yes!" the girls whispered in excitement.

Jungorou nodded to his wife, then carefully opened the door, its knob creaking and screeching.

 _Screee..._

Jungorou froze.

"What is it?" the others asked, but stared in horror, as they witnessed the one thing that they wanted to NOT see.

 **A group of delinquents were standing around, guarding the boats onboard, as they were working to try and unleash them. All of them wore the usual Ooarai uniforms, except looser with skirts that reached down to their knees. In this culture, girls were expected to wear short skirts, so wearing overtly long skirts was a sign of rebellion. It did not help that all of them were glaring at Jungorou and his group, their sharp eyes almost like those of snakes, as the door seemingly opened wide on its own. He and his group also noticed that it was raining hard, despite the mysterious lack of wind.**

"Um..." Jungorou gulped. "We want to escape."

"Honey!" Yoshiko whispered, her eyes a little open wide. "Careful!"

"And why?" one of the delinquents grunted, staggering a little, a baseball bat in hand.

"Ahem!" he cleared his throat. "There are five of us here: me, my wife, two girls from the Public Morals Committee, and a girl from..."

"Media Club," Taiga said.

"A ragtag group," the girl with the bat grunted. "Just like us."

The entire group of delinquents laughed, causing the five to flinch.

"We-we want to escape," Jungorou stammered. "Ju-just to get away from here!"

"And why should we help you?" asked another girl, with a guitar. She plucked a tune, which was a little too high-pitched, causing the three girls in Jungorou's group to wince.

Jungorou nodded to his wife, who took out the paper.

"Please let us pass," she said gracefully, opening the paper. "Where is your leader? We would like to give this to her."

"You knew that our leader was female?" asked another, and the whole gang roared into laughter.

"Eh-yes," Yoshiko answered, startled by the delinquents' behavior. "Sort of."

"I am here," a voice boomed. "We'll see if they are worthy."

The five people all entered through, as one of the delinquents shut the door.

"Eek!" Sadoka and Mazoe both flinched. "Wh-why did we just enter?"

"Now you're in our territory now," a few girls grunted, laughing at the five.

"Hold your tongue," the same voice declared, and she came out. Four more girls came out, and faced the five newcomers.

Jungorou gulped.

All five girls had a sailor's hat, except for one, who was dressed like a barmaid. The leader had the darkest skin, holding a fake tobacco pipe. She also wore a very long, black jacket like a cape. The girl dressed like a maid had blond hair with a white headband, while another girl was dressed normally, except that her pinkish hair looked like an afro. The two tallest ones looked formidable; one was very slim with grayish hair that was the longest of her group (it reached down to her butts), while the other was the most muscular, with spiky, long, black hair.

Now that Jungorou noticed them, all of them wore short, white skirts; the grayish-haired girl was the only one wearing the rebelliously long skirt.

"Ahem!" Jungorou cleared his throat, as his wife handed him the paper. "This is really the reason why. We originally wanted to escape, just because of the oppressive atmosphere of the strange military."

The whole crowd of delinquents mumbled in agreement.

"But this really is now the reason why," he said, letting the leader check it.

She looked, as did her associates. Her face paled, gawking. Her hands shook.

"You have to be kidding?!" she gasped. "Our-our friend Momo-san?!"

"She's your friends?!" Sadoka and Mazoe both gasped.

"She covered for us," the long-haired girl said, almost singing. "Preventing us from being expelled."

The two black-haired girls gawked. They could not believe that Momo, the short-tempered loudmouth from the original Student Council, was friends with a few delinquents, especially the leaders.

 **"Anyway," Jungorou said, clearing his throat. "In short, that paper gives the real reason why the authorities are keeping us under tight control: they want to find all of the girls from the Senshadou Club, and take them to...somewhere. While that's not stated, according to the paper, the authorities here are keeping us trapped, really to lure the Senshadou girls into the carrier."**

"We have to stop this!" the leader declared.

"But they're too strong!" Jungorou began. "They-"

"Wait!" one of the delinquents shouted, hushing the crowd. She put her right ear to the door, and her face paled.

"They're coming!" she shouted out.

"Get to the boats!" the leader roared. "Now!"

Everybody tried to get onboard, desperate to release the ropes.

"Urrg!" one of the delinquents roared, pulling at a few ropes. "The ropes are stuck!"

"Same here!" another grunted, pulling at a single rope, which refused to even budge.

"Try and cut them!" another roared.

"Can't!" another voice echoed, as the girl tried to cut one with a knife. "The ropes are too strong!"

Jungorou looked up at the ropes, then at the deck. He gasped.

"Leader!" he cried out.

"Yes?" she responded.

"Two-two of us have to stay on deck!" he shouted, as a few girls still onboard were trying to block the door with crates and anything nearby.

"Are you serious?!" she gasped. "Why?"

"The ropes somehow," he shouted. "Are attached to two control pads!"

"Honey!" Yoshiko screamed. "We'll do it!"

"What!" he began to protest. "Why-oh, come on!"

Yoshiko jumped back onto the deck, and readied at one of the two pads.

"These designs are weird," she noted. "Ah, you there!"

"Huh?" two of the delinquents responded.

"Tie me up," she declared.

"Eh?"

"To make it look like I was forced to do this," she responded.

"Why-" they began to ask.

"Just do it!" the leader roared, and the two obeyed without objection. They tied her with ropes, and deliberately smeared her face with some ash, giving the illusion of being tortured. Jungorou, sighing, also went onboard, and let the delinquents give him the same treatment. In fact, they deliberately punched and bruised the duo, in order to make it look even more authentic.

"Ready?" the couple shouted, as everybody else went onboard. After the delinquents gave them a few finishing touches of fake torture, they went onboard.

"But what about you?" Taiga asked, as she, Sadoka, and Mazoe were on one of the boats.

"Just go!" Jungorou cried, sniffing. "And please find our daughter!"

"Thank you," Yoshiko said, showing more restraint with her own tears.

"We'll do," the trio said, before the couple pulled the switches.

"And thank you," said the dark-skinned leader, saluting them before the boats fell into the waters below.

Just as the boats and the ropes disappeared below, the rain suddenly intensified, blocking the view. Soon after, a horde of soldiers plowed through the door and the barricade. Immediately, Yoshiko and Jungorou both feigned exhaustion and gladness.

"Tha-thank you!" Jungorou gasped.

"What happened here?" one of the soldiers grunted.

"The delinquents!" he gasped. "The-they escaped!"

"They forced us to help!" Yoshiko whimpered.

"Sir!" one of the soldiers called through the radio. "The weather is too dangerous!"

"Leave them alone," a cold voice echoed audibly through the microphone. "They're worthless; leave them to die."

The last words gave the couple the chills, but maintained their facade, as they were carried back through the door.

Jungorou sniffed.

"It's OK," Yoshiko said reassuringly. "At least we're alright."

He knew what she was really saying: while they failed in their escape attempt, at least they helped others to escape.

"Thank you," he sniffed. "Thank you."

* * *

 **Somewhere on the edge of the waters of New Cal, blocked from entering by a strange force field...**

 **The JSF ship, guarded by two military boats**

 **6:30 PM; November 28, 20XX**

"You know why you all are here," a robust general with a single scar on his face growled.

All of the VIP's of both the MEXT and the JSF sat down in a rectangular table, staring at the general. Almost all of them flinched or shook in their seats. Only two people, both women and mothers, stared confidently, despite internally fidgeting.

"Who gave the command?" he grunted, his voice expressing a slow but steady increase in rage. "To let two more school ships enter the waters of New Cal?

"It was to help rescue their former comrade Azumi," said Shiho calmly.

 _Ah_ , Shichiro thought, fanning himself. _Azumi would be glad to see her old school help save her._

"But why two of them?" the general growled. "A Surcouf submarine and a giant ship that appears to be a hybrid of Charles de Gaulle and PA2? Both are themed after France."

 **"Both have something at stake," Shiho replied. "The BC Freedom Academy wants to save Azumi, while the Maginot wants to save both of my daughters. Apparently, the Maginot's new Senshadou leader admires the Nishizumi style, and wants to save them."**

"But both ships entering the off-limit waters at once?" the general hissed, slamming his fist to the ground. All except Shiho flinched, as Chiyo visibly winced.

"The French government is controlling both," Shiho sighed.

She wanted to avoid saying that. Indeed, everything she said so far was actually true; both ships wanted to rescue those whom they prized. However, Shiho wanted to avoid the fact that the French government, in the interest of establishing a territory in New Cal, sponsored and helped the ships to enter the waters.

"Ugh!" the general grunted very loudly, shaking his head. "Now, we have an entire European nation wanting New Cal all to itself?!"

"France is not the only one," Shiho said coldy, glaring at the general. "All other school ships in the waters of New Cal are, to various degree, are puppets at the hands of other nations, except Ooarai."

"Like St. Gloriana," Shichiro said, fanning himself to cool his sweating face. "A puppet at the hands of the UK."

"Saunders too," Renta groaned. "Plus, that ship and even Jatkosota's are now being monitored and watched, because somehow, Alice and her Bermuda Trio managed to escape from here!"

"Exactly!" the general roared, slamming his fists down to the table again. This time, the glass covering the top cracked, as his fists were visibly bleeding.

Shiho resisted the urge to shiver, but gulped a little.

 **"Essentially put," the general growled. "All of these governments? They're really using the school ships, the only ships that can enter the New Cal without being blocked, really as a pretext to colonize and annex the lands under their own! We are NOT part of this! We are here to control and analyze the lands, not to conquer it!"**

 **"Well," Shichiro sighed, fanning himself. "This is going to be another Scramble for Africa, right?"**

Shiho felt a single tear in her right eye.

 _My daughters_...she thought.

* * *

 **Strange forest...**

 **A secret campsite somewhere inside**

 **7:00 AM; November 29, 20XX**

"Have you...heard the saying?"

"Darjeeling-san, please rest."

It was already bright and shining, as the Sun above radiated through the mysterious force field, its light covering the strange island of New Cal. Below, hidden inside of a dense forest, a single campsite stood next to a cave. Surrounding both the cave and the camp were five tanks, parked in a half-circle like a defense formation. Indeed, between the tanks were a series of walls, made of a variety of stone, wood, and even metals, salvaged from the remains of the rare vehicle that scouted the forest.

"Spy vehicles," Darjeeling sighed, coughing. "Remotely controlled, so we had to destroy them carefully."

"Good thing," a little girl (by Chosen standards) with ginger hair tied into twist buns sighed in response, kneeling down on the left side of Darjeeling's bed, while Miho knelt on the right.

"Were all of them destroyed?" Miho asked. "Orange Pekoe-san?"

"Most," the little girl responded, followed by a sigh and a cough.

Miho looked at the "Noble Sisters." All three looked terribly worn out; in fact, Miho internally gasped, as she realized that the girls just started to tidy themselves.

"You haven't washed?" Miho asked.

Darjeeling smiled sheepishly.

"You are so clever," she groaned. "That's why when you saw us, we all looked terribly dirty. Too dirty to be elegant."

"What happened?" Miho asked.

"Not now," Orange Pekoe said, putting a wet, white towel on Darjeeling's forehead. "Darjeeling-sama has been so hard on herself, trying to keep us all alive for the past few weeks."

"Few weeks?!" Miho gasped.

"Ah..." Darjeeling groaned, feeling a wave of pleasure from the warm, wet towel, its water dripping down and moisturizing her stressed face.

"Maybe more," Orange Pekoe sighed.

Miho also noticed that while the girls did not have wrinkles on their foreheads, they were frequently sighing and having downcast glances. However, these all improved dramatically overnight, as Miho and her group breathed new life into the camp. Indeed, all of her group gasped in shock at the terrible state of the camp.

"This looks like the battle of Stalingrad," Erwin remarked with shock.

"No," said Caesar, gawking. "More like the sack of Rome."

"To see St. Gloriana like this..." Saemonza stared, saying what everybody else had in mind.

"You all are right," Oryou groaned. "How about the Battle of Wake Island, where the Japanese troops were blockaded and left starving?"

"You mean," Miho interjected. "The Japanese starvation on Wake Island."

"That's right!" the others replied in agreement.

"Here you go," Saori said, as she prepared the grills and other cooking equipment, alongside her teammates and other girls. The St. Gloriana remnant was more than willing to help. Nearby, Miho glimpsed some first-aid kits, wide open with all kinds of equipment all over.

"Been through some fighting?" Miho asked, tidying up the sleeping bag that Darjeeling was sleeping in, which was tattered and worn from exposure to the elements.

"We've been down a lot," Pekoe admitted. "In fact, we were contemplating just going back...and getting arrested. But you all came, breathing new life into what little force we have."

Miho nodded grimly. Indeed, Miho and her group stumbled upon Darjeeling's hideout, which had only ten "normal" girls and three Chosen Ones. Darjeeling, Orange Pekoe, and Assam were there.

"Where is Rosehip?" Miho asked.

"Out looking for you girls," Pekoe said.

"Ah!" she gasped.

"Mm..." Darjeeling suddenly groaned. "Never...slept in this bed before."

Miho also noticed that Darjeeling seemed slightly disoriented.

"Are you tired?" Miho asked.

"Very much," she replied, coughing. "Never felt this sick before. It feels nothing like having fever."

"Darjeeling-sama," Orange Pekoe admonished her lightly. "Please remain still."

"Thank you...," Darjeeling muttered.

"It must have been hard on you girls," Miho noted again.

Orange Pekoe looked at the other girl present, a girl with long, voluminous, blond hair topped by a black hairband. Both girls sighed.

"To be honest," Pekoe said. "We are glad that you all are here. Even when we're Chosen, only four of us are Chosen. We are actually glad that we're not the only ones. Right, Assam-sama?"

The long-haired girl named Assam sighed.

"Yes," she answered. "But ALL of you...?!"

Miho, Pekoe, and Assam all turned to look around.

The cave behind them was the girls' former hideout, until a part of the cave collapsed, destroying their well-organized beds inside. Hence, all of the St. Gloriana girls were forced to sleep inside any makeshift beds, including a sleeping bag. Darjeeling slept in one painted with the flag of the UK on it.

Darjeeling coughed again.

"Hmm," Miho checked Darjeeling's head. "This is no ordinary fever."

"It is not really fever," Hana said, strolling with a cup of herbal tea. "It is stress."

"Fever caused by stress?" asked Miho.

Hana nodded, as she knelt down with the tea.

"It makes sense," Miho said. "Now that I think about it, we almost never got sick."

"Being Chosen gives us immunity?" asked Pekoe. "And what type of tea is that? Hmm, I have never smelled this before."

"Tea made with Nurok herbs," she replied.

"Huh?" the St. Gloriana girls asked, including Darjeeling, who muttered.

Miho raised her hand, and explained the whole story, from their capture at the hands of the Nuroks, to their ordeal and saving the town from attacks by the New Silicon.

"New Silicon..." Assam pondered, thinking. "They sound familiar..."

"And the Nuroks sure were nice towards you all," remarked Pekoe. "Except for...this Chief Max."

"But that's not important right now," Miho said. "Like I said again and again: what happened?"

Darjeeling smiled.

"Look around you," was all she said.

Miho looked around, standing up.

Although it was not obvious, the campsite was now extremely clean. In fact, all ten St. Gloriana girls were now in clean clothes, sipping tea as usual. This time, however, they talked casually, even laughing out loud, with the Ooarai girls.

Miho sighed, as she remembered the camp before; it was such a mess by St. Gloriana standards, that even she and her friends silently chose to not talk about it much. Instead, they helped Darjeeling's group with cleaning up the site.

Surrounding the camp with five tanks was really a joint idea, formulated both by Miho and Darjeeling. Miho came up with using the tanks to protect the camp, but it was Darjeeling who wanted the tanks to form a literal wall around. This was to give the St. Gloriana girls a sense of protection, thus relieving them of their personal stress.

Indeed, the Ooarai girls felt it, as they talked as nicely as possible, in order to soothe the British-like girls.

Miho blinked. Now that she noticed, it was strange...

The Chosen Ones were all extremely tall, dwarfing the normal girls. The "normal" girls also were taller, averaging at about 198 cm tall. However, the Chosen girls were 60 cm taller, so that they looked awkward together. Indeed, the smaller girls kept looking UP at her friends, still slightly dumbstruck. Although they were used to seeing their own leaders, the Tea Garden girls, being so tall due to their Chosen nature, the St. Gloriana girls were stunned that ALL of the Ooarai girls were extremely tall...and robust.

"Boy," one of them mumbled, staring up at Azusa. "You sure are quite...voluptuous for a highschool girl."

"W-w-wait!" she gasped. "Do-don't look at me!"

"She's not lesbian," another St. Gloriana girl retorted, causing both to blush bright-red.

"Don't call me that!" the girl who talked to Azusa. "Do-don't act like a lowborn, please!"

"Girls!" Assam growled, getting up and going down towards the trio. "Please, calm down!"

"Lowborn?" Miho asked.

Darjeeling sighed, and raised her torso.

"Stay down," Pekoe said.

"No," she replied. "Miho-san, do you want to know what happened here?"

"I-ah! Yes," she replied, as Darjeeling sipped Hana's tea.

She made a face, something that surprised Miho.

"Oh," she groaned. "I have eaten medicine, but this one is...strong."

"Real herbal tea," Hana replied. "Courtesy of the Nuroks. American ginseng, Camas root, and yampah are among its ingredients."

Darjeeling sipped a little more, then more. Her coughing subsided surprisingly fast, and she sighed in relief.

"Wow," Assam said, as she came back. "That tea is really good."

"It's not green tea," Miho said. "But it is still good."

"Alright," Darjeeling said, clearing her throat. "You know the saying: 'Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.'"

"Ah," Miho uttered, standing up. "Girls! Let's gather!"

All of the girls then quickly cleaned up, and sat down together in rows, as if they were in a movie theater. The only people "on stage" were the whole Anglerfish Team, and the three St. Gloriana Chosen Ones.

"My apology," said Darjeeling. "That Rosehip is not here. Unfortunately, I told her to not come back until the next day, so she may come at any moment. If not..."

She cleared her throat, then coughed.

"OK," she sighed, staring down at her cup of herbal tea, her face now calmer but still stained with stress. "Let's just get to the point."

* * *

 **And with that, the next chapter will be the flashback of how Darjeeling and her group ended up living in a camp, struggling to survive.**

 **Plus, if you pay attention, some of the Ooarai girls sound familiar.**

 **Well then, wish me well on this journey ahead!**

 **I give a shout-out to der Jagdexperte for correcting my mistake on the Hippo Team's reference.**

 **Important Note: Chapter 1 is updated, so that I have a Table of Contents, so that you all can check to see how the story will go. Thank you!**

 **Review, like, follow etc. as usual!**


	15. Chapter 15: Double Fall

**Greetings from SeekerMeeker.**

 **Let's get to the point.**

* * *

 **Girls Wild Rise**

 **Chapter 15: Double Fall**

 **Same forest...**

 **Darjeeling's Hideout (the same campsite from before)**

 **7:00 AM; November 21, 20XX**

"Ah," Darjeeling sighed in relief, sipping more from her cup of tea. Instead of the usual type of "real" tea, it was herbal tea, made of some potent ingredients that her friends had acquired from a unique group of native Americans called the Nuroks.

"I feel much better," she declared, sighing again. "Have you heard the saying? _Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food_?"

"That's from the Greek physician Hippocrates," Orange Pekoe answered.

Darjeeling coughed, but regained her composure. Gradually but surely, the girls all sat together, with the St. Gloriana girls in the inner circle, with the rest of the Ooarai around them. As if listening to a story around the campfire, the girls waited for Darjeeling to speak.

The morning Sun yawned, its light illuminating the darkened world all around. Now, birds started to chirp, as the forest started to brim with new life.

"My apology for the short delay," Darjeeling said, coughing again.

"Please," Miho said, as she got more tea from Hana. "Take your time."

"No," Darjeeling answered, this time gobbling up the cup of tea.

"Darjeeling-sama!" Pekoe groaned. "You're acting like Rosehip!"

Suddenly, Darjeeling's face fell, causing her to shake her cup.

"Ah!" Pekoe gasped. "So-sorry! Do-don't worry about it and all. I hope that-"

"Ooh!" a familiar voice echoed, as something blue and fast roared into view, crashing into a nearby tree. All except the St. Gloriana girls jumped, ready to summon their weapons. The tree, however, groaned and moaned, swaying from the impact.

"Worry not!" she declared, as she stopped her Crusader tank and jumping down. "I, Rosehip, have come!"

However, she was wobbling from the impact. Noriko caught her, and tidied her up.

"Thank you!" Rosehip replied.

"It's about time," Darjeeling said, regaining her demeanor, as if Rosehip breathed new life into her. "Rosehip, use your power to park your Crusader, and then join us."

She obeyed immediately, and a very short delay, she joined the crowd.

"Looks like we're not the only ones to know how to do that," remarked Oryou.

"That's right," her teammates replied.

"Now that all of us are here," Darjeeling said calmly, as if nothing happened. "Let us get to the point. Miho and the Chosen of Ooarai, you all are wondering how and why we are as we are now. So let me explain..."

* * *

 **At least two months ago...**

"Tea Garden," a gruff voice boomed. "What's your status?"

"We have finally gotten contact!" Assam squealed, momentarily losing her composure, as she and almost all of her teammates squealed like little girls. Only Darjeeling did not lose her cool, although she sighed in visible relief, as Assam, Orange Pekoe, and Rosehip all cheered in celebration.

Darjeeling and her company, like the Ooarai girls, arrived at the New Cal by boat, using a boat that they managed to obtain from a sympathetic owner. Unlike the Ooarai girls, however, they had a working long-radio transmission system, which they finally managed to gain contact with their own ship. It was a miracle that the radio even worked, let alone get contact with the girls' own ship.

"This is General Richard Trio," said the deep voice. "If you hear this, report where you are."

"I will hand over to Darjeeling-san," Assam replied, letting Darjeeling sit down and use the system.

"Lady Darjeeling," said the voice. The tone and word choice gave away his British nature.

"Hello," replied Darjeeling, fixing her microphone and earphone. "This is Darjeeling."

"Ma'am," he boomed. "Where are you all?"

"We are on a coast," she replied. "Based on Assam's expertise on the landscape, and using our compass, we appear to be in the southwest of the island."

 **The general's voice gasped, and blared out a few words that the girls did not understand.* (the asterisk reveals what I had in mind at the end of the chapter. Check below for more information.)**

"Great news!" he declared. "You all are only a few miles away from where the Ark Royal is!"

All of them shouted in delight. Even Darjeeling, who resisted the urge, shook her cup of tea in visible joy.

"Follow the shore," said the voice. "Just go up north, and you should see two coasts: one where you are on, and the other from an island! Ma'am, please come up. Thank you!"

 _Click._

"Ladies," said Darjeeling, as she climbed aboard the Churchill. "Let's go-"

"Oh yesssss!" Rosehip screamed, as she ran ahead.

"Rosehip!" Assam and Pekoe both screamed, hands in facepalm. "Ride with us!"

"Let her run," Darjeeling said with a smile, as the others boarded the tank. "We'll follow her."

* * *

"...and the ride was quite uneventful," Darjeeling said, sipping more tea.

"Assam kept trying to connect," said Orange Pekoe, as she fixed Darjeeling's own clothing. "And sorry about our mess."

Darjeeling sighed.

"It must have been hard on you girls," said Miho. She had a strong sense of empathy, even before becoming Chosen.

Darjeeling sighed again.

"My apology," she said, sighing again. "It's been...hard on us."

* * *

"Meet up at the coordinates," General Trio's voice boomed. "Trio, out."

 _Beep._

"Just keep following the coast," Assam mused. "Well, that went well."

"Or follow your dreams," said Darjeeling, sighing peacefully. "Finally, we're safe."

"But I do agree," said Pekoe, preparing more tea inside of the tank. "First, we found a boat that brought all of us, including the Churchill, all the way to the island. Second, we were on an area with plenty of fruits, especially apples, bananas, oranges, and grapes, which kept us satisfied. Third and lastly, the radio system that Assam acquired managed to gain contact."

"Best of all," Pekoe said. "All these took after only three days."

"Three days of survival in the wild," Darjeeling said. "We almost were ready to dress in our makeshift survival gear, but we need to worry not."

"Finally," Pekoe and Assam both sighed. "Glad that we did not have to."

"Agreed," Rukuriri said, as she drove the Churchill.

They drove on, following the footprints of Rosehip, as she kept going around and around. She was jumping all around, gathering up a variety of fruits available.

"Here you go!" she screamed, jumping on board and dropping down the fruits into the opened cupola.

"Careful!" Assam and Orange Pekoe both shouted, as they captured most of the fruits.

Darjeeling caught a single apple. She stared at it, its bright red skin shining in the sunlight.

"To eat," she said. "Or not to eat."

The others stared at her.

"Sorry," Darjeeling said, biting it. "Mmm, have you heard the saying..."

* * *

"Darjeeling-sama!" Pekoe gasped, as she and Miho caught her.

She suddenly shook, and the girls held her. Miho held the cup, preventing the hot tea from dripping.

"Ah," Darjeeling gasped. "So-sorry. My apology."

All except the St. Gloriana girls stared and gawked. They had never seen Darjeeling crack under pressure. The ten St. Gloriana girls in the inner circle, however, sighed.

"She really strained herself," Pekoe explained, as Darjeeling finally calmed down. "She..."

Darjeeling shook herself, and her aura of calmness returned. She breathed in...

...and out.

"I am sorry about that," she replied. "Miho-san, I-I think I am starting to feel how you feel...your shame at Kuromorimine."

Miho flinched.

"Oh," she whispered.

The whole group was silent, as Darjeeling continued to breathe in...

...and out.

...In...

...and out.

"You don't have to push yourself," Miho began. "And, oh..."

Darjeeling lowered her head, then let the tears fall.

It was enough.

"I-I..." she gasped. "I-I am so glad...I am sorry...I am sorry for being so-so...so hard on myself..."

She sniffed, and kept doing so, as Orange Pekoe carefully pulled the cup away. Miho then held her hands, with her own.

The girls remained silent, letting Darjeeling be Darjeeling.

"Hey," Yukari said, noticing the sky. "I believe it's going to rain."

"It's already raining," Darjeeling said.

"Huh?" multiple girls asked.

"This is rain," she said, raising her head. Streams of tear cascaded down her cheeks.

* * *

 **30 minutes later...**

While the St. Gloriana girls comforted and helped Darjeeling out, the Ooarai girls worked quickly to create a tent. The Rabbit Team and the Hippo Team all worked with leather, creating it out of animal hides from carcasses that they had. The Anglerfish Team and the Duck Team all helped with the harder task of cutting down and fixing the timber, turning the woods into poles and planks. The Turtle Team went on the lookout.

15 minutes later, the girls all finished, but decided to clean up and tidy up the area further. This time, the Ooarai girls created a table and chairs; they also created chairs for the others. The Rabbit Team then laid out their tablecloth on the table. Despite its leathery nature, it was surprisingly smooth. Darjeeling touched the cloth, almost caressing it.

"Thank you," she said. "My apology."

The girls then sat down in the chairs, which faced the table. The table had five chairs: the Tea Garden's four girls sat on them, while the last one was reserved for Miho, at the request of Darjeeling.

Darjeeling breathed in, and out.

 _Then..._

 _Pit-pit._

 _Pat-pat._

 _Pitter-patter._

 _Plop-plop._

The tent groaned a little, as a few drops of rain struck, then poured. The rain easily fell down, becoming a waterfall all around the tent's edges. The tent was large enough to shield even the tanks, so they were dry. Still, the outside was now quite dark and dreary.

Darjeeling stared out, and sighed.

"So now," she said, breathing. "Where were we..."

* * *

"Ladies," Darjeeling said, sipping her cup of tea. "It's been a while."

"Yes..." the others sighed in relief.

Rukuriri was the one driving the tank, while Assam was still dealing with the radio.

"Is this thing working?" Trio's voice blared, barely audible. He sounded a little impatient.

"It is," Assam said patiently. "Sir."

Orange Pekoe and Darjeeling both sat side-by-side, with the latter drinking tea. Pekoe was holding a teapot patiently, as Trio's sigh echoed through the transmission.

"Good thing we got you," Trio's voice blared again. "It was by chance that we got this!"

"Thank you for finding us," Darjeeling said. "Sir."

"And how many of you are here?" Trio's voice echoed.

"Five," Darjeeling replied.

"They are?"

"I am Darjeeling," she replied. "And here are Orange Pekoe, Assam, and Rukuriri."

"And the last?"

Darjeeling smiled.

"You listen," she remarked. "Rosehip; she's running towards your location."

"And what," he began. "Oh...I see a silhouette of someone running."

The girls squealed to various degree.

"That is Rosehip," Darjeeling replied.

"And one more thing," Trio's voice echoed. "There are two more Chosen Ones here."

The girls gasped.

"You will meet them," Trio's voice echoed. "They are Camomile and Comfrey."

* * *

"Camomile and Comfrey," Darjeeling sighed, sipping her herbal tea.

"Who are they?" asked Karina, raising her hand.

"Shush," Azusa told her Rabbit Team. "Let them talk."

"They are part of the Tea Garden," Orange Pekoe explained. "In our tradition, whenever you join the Tea Garden, you gain a new name, which you keep for the rest of your time in St. Gloriana. Those two..."

She trailed off, glancing away.

"They are a strange lot," Assam joined in. "Instead of being named after tea, they named themselves after herbal tea. That alone caused some tension, as our graduate alumnae did NOT approve of the naming process."

"They got through," Pekoe rejoined, after a moment of silence. "Because of some influence; ah, they were from some noble class."

For some reason, Miho felt something tingle in her spine.

"Noble class?" some of the girls asked, even among the St. Gloriana girls.

"I recall," Assam said, thinking hard with a frown. "That they were from some kind of nobility. However, no records prove that they are directly from the British nobility; instead, they are somehow from some Japanese nobility, which they did like, for some reason."

"Huh?" some of the girls reacted.

"They were clearly Japanese," Pekoe said. "But for some reason, they tried to pretend to be of British nobility."

"Long story short," Darjeeling interjected. "We drove our Churchill, and encountered our base."

* * *

 _Creak..._

 _Creak..._

 _Brrr..._

"It's about time," Assam sighed in deep relief.

"Finally home!" Rukuriri groaned.

"We are here," Pekoe replied, more cheerful than her face revealed.

"Ah," Darjeeling sighed, sipping her tea. "We are here at last. Girls, let us tidy ourselves again."

The girls drove the Churchill, while Rosehip was waving at them to the location, which was clearly a military base. The Churchill drove by two regiments of military soldiers, who were dressed in British combat dress. They then parked, and disembarked as calmly as possibly.

"Rosehip," Darjeeling called out. "Please stay calm, and let us all be ladies."

The girls all lined up, and a group of seven men approached. Unlike the other soldiers, six of them were dressed in what looked like a full suit of armor, vaguely like that of knights, except sleek and with gadgets. The leader of them was dressed in a distinct type of uniform; Darjeeling recognized it as British, but found it...odd.

"Do you recognize that uniform?" Darjeeling whispered, which was rare for her to do; her curiosity won over her patience.

"No," Orange Pekoe replied back. "It does not look British to me..."

"Attention!"

A voice boomed somewhere, and everybody paid attention.

"I am General Richard Trio," the general said, shaking hands with Darjeeling. "And you are one of the leaders of St. Gloriana, am I correct?"

"I am," she replied.

"We'll deal with your tank and all," he replied, as a few of the St. Gloriana Senshadou girls approached. "We have other matters to settle."

The girls then followed, and all five went into a girl's dress room.

"Finally!" the girls cried in joy; even Darjeeling audibly sighed, as they all washed and dressed up. After 25 minutes of shower and chatting, all of them finally got ready.

"Finally," Darjeeling said, fixing her clean uniform. "We are at least in St. Gloriana territory; let us meet up with the rest of the Tea Garden."

All others agreed, as five girls marched towards up hallways after hallways, except for Rosehip, who ran.

"Wo-ho!" she screamed, as she ran through corridors after corridors. "Finally! In familiar territory!"

The girls then entered the Tea Garden compound, which was designed to emulate an ornate ballroom. In fact, it reminded the five girls of the old Tea Garden base back on the ship.

"Welcome to the Tea Garden compound," said a voice, as a few girls approached the five. "Specifically, the one in New Cal, our colony."

"Colony?!" the girls gasped.

* * *

"Colony?!" the Ooarai girls gasped, while the St. Gloriana girls mere sighed.

"We'll explain more later," said Darjeeling, sipping. "Let's get to the point; I will make it simple, and easy to understand for all of you."

Her peers gawked.

"You-you sure?" Orange Pekoe stuttered. "Bu-but this is not that simple."

"It's a lot simpler than you may think," Darjeeling said. "We can show them St. Gloriana afterwards."

The St. Gloriana girls gasped, and three of them stood up.

"No!" they shouted. "Darjeeling-sama, we almost lost you there! We're not letting you go again!"

"Wait," Darjeeling spoke softly, calming her subordinates. "Let's finish the story..."

* * *

"The journey continued with nothing much," said Darjeeling.

"Unless I mention about you trying to remember proverbs," Orange Pekoe said.

The girls finally were chatting casually with the others. Darjeeling, however, was focused on talking to the only Chosen Ones who were not with her.

"So," she said. "You are Camomile and Comfrey, right?"

She looked at the Chosen girls. As expected of them, Chosen girls were clearly taller than normal girls, by about 100 cm.

"Yes," one of them replied, sipping her herbal tea. "I am Camomile."

Camomile was a Chosen girl with pale-blond hair and light blue eyes. With her long hair, she could be mistaken for a British girl.

"Name is Comfrey," the other girl replied, sitting right next to Camomile.

Comfrey, by contrast, possessed dark-red hair with neon-green eyes. Something about those eyes, however, gave Darjeeling a strange feeling...

"Based on what we have talked," Darjeeling said, ignoring her sensation (although she kept it in mind). "You two were in charge of colonizing this area, right?"

"Originally," Camomile said. "We intended to just set up a temporary rescue operation. However, a good number of our girls liked the atmosphere, even comparing it to the British Isles. After a referendum, which was overwhelmingly in favor of settling here, we decided to stay."

"Hmm," Darjeeling noted. "Now that we are in civil territory, this area here is quite the paradise. Have you heard the saying? _One man's trash is another man's treasure?_ "

"That quote," Orange Pekoe replied. "Has an unclear origin. You quoted a version by Yotam Ottolenghi."

"A proverb fanatic, I suppose?" Camomile said with a smile. Strangely, the smile unnerved Darjeeling, although she maintained her calm demeanor.

* * *

"..." Miho blinked, as if the word "proverb" made her think. "Proverb..."

"Come again?" asked a nearby St. Gloriana girl, who noticed her puzzled look.

Outside, the rain suddenly stopped.

On impulse, Miho clutched her chest, as she looked down. A few girls winced, as they felt a little jealous of her endowment.

"I understand," Darjeeling said. "The changes to our bodies are...both exhilarating and foreign."

"Not only did we grow taller," said Assam. "But also our bodies feel more mature."

"And Darjeeling's chest is so much bigger!" Rosehip said the "forbidden thing," causing the St. Gloriana girls to twitch and gasp in shock, while the Ooarai girls laughed out loud.

"Rosehip!" Orange Pekoe and Assam both reproached her. "Don't say it so obviously!"

"And why are you checking your chest?" asked Darjeeling, as the girls settled down and turned to look at her.

"Um..." Miho stammered. "I...I was checking, and-oh, yip-yip?"

"Yip-yip?" the St. Gloriana girls asked. However, behind them, the Ooarai girls gasped.

"Where is it?" Miho gasped.

"The koala!" Azusa said what they had in mind.

"A koala?" the St. Gloriana girls asked, while the Ooarai girls were starting to shake with fear.

"It's not here!" Miho gasped, as she felt her chest. "It-it-"

"Baby koala!" Saori screamed at the top of her lungs, getting up.

Just as the girls were starting to get up and search around, they heard it.

"Yip-yip?"

Everybody heard it, and turned in its direction. Out of the woods, a familiar, gray furball suddenly appeared, apparently nibbling on an eucalyptus leaf.

"There you are!" multiple voices boomed in relief, as the cuddly fluffball squealed, and went up to Miho, who welcomed it with open arms, as she knelt down. She then took up the koala joey, which squealed with joy.

"Where were you?" Miho cried, tears streaming out.

"Yip-yip," it squeaked. "Worry not, mama girl."

Darjeeling, Assam, Orange Pekoe, and Rosehip all stared, blinking and gawking. Rosehip held her mouth the widest, while Darjeeling deliberately held her chin up with her right hand, in order to avoid letting her jaw drop.

It dropped anyway, as she let her hand go.

"Is that a koala?" Assam gawked.

"Kawaii..." Pekoe mumbled. "But...is it-"

"SO ADORABLE!" Rosehip roared, causing the joey to freak out. It jumped into Miho's bosom, digging deep in, as if her cleavage was a pouch. After a while, the koala turned its head, staring at the girls.

"Kawaii..." all of the St. Gloriana girls and some of the Ooarai girls groaned, stunned by its cuteness.

"Wait," Assam snapped out of her trance. "Didn't it talk?"

"Yes, it did," Miho said. "Wait, don't you know?"

"Hmm?" the St. Gloriana girls asked.

"Haven't you met other talking animals?" Miho asked.

"No," the girls replied.

"No," some of the Ooarai teams replied.

"Huh?!" the Anglerfish girls blinked and gasped, startled.

"What..." Mako trailed off, confused. Even she was baffled, her eyes blinking wide.

"That is strange," Hana spoke, pondering.

"I thought you all know this?" Yukari blurted out, more like saying than asking.

"Wait a minute!" Saori gasped, turning to Miho. "Miporin! We have met animals that can talk, such as the tiger and the eagle!"

"Huh?" the girls asked again. This time, all of the girls except the Anglerfish Team stared, confused.

"Do-do you remember?" Miho asked, her eyes wide open. "Remember the warehouse? Being attacked by a mob of men?"

"We definitely remember that," Erwin said, and others agreed. "But not the talking animals."

"We were saved by three talking animals!" Miho gasped. "A tiger and an eagle, and then some dino-no, some strange animal. Remember?"

The rest of the girls reacted variously, with some scratching their heads.

"I remember not," Darjeeling said.

"Me neither," the others admitted.

All five girls of the Anglerfish Team blinked, gawking.

"What's going on..." Yukari mumbled.

 _Indeed, all five Anglerfish girls clearly remembered it. Back in California, during the apocalypse, Miho and her friends, before they got separated by strange earthquakes, encountered a few talking animals. Miho remembered, with a few tears, the talking tiger and the talking eagle, both of which sacrificed their lives at some point in their lives. However, seeing her own friends and allies not remember..._

She cleared her throat.

"So-sorry," she replied. "Darjeeling-san, please continue your story. Joey-chan, please stay in my bosom."

"Joey-chan?" the baby koala asked innocently, munching on its leaf. "Ah, mama calls me Joey, too!"

It cuddled up into Miho's chest, then popped its head out again.

"Kawaii!" everybody else squealed in delight.

While they were focused on her chest, Miho gave glances at her four teammates. All of them noticed her eyes, and silently understood what she had in mind.

 _We will discuss this later_ , she thought. _I don't know how or why our friends, even Ooarai, forgot about the talking animals. But for now, St. Gloriana is important._

"Anyway," Miho said. "Yes, this island should have talking animals."

"Awesome!" they all cried out in delight. "This is amazing!"

"But for now," Miho said. "St. Gloriana is important."

"Well then," Darjeeling said in agreement. "We learn new things everyday. So, let us continue..."

* * *

"Long story short," Darjeeling said, as she and others explained their adventures. "It was not much, but we managed to survive."

"Congratulations," Camomile said. "But now that we are all here, we have something in mind."

"Hmm?"

* * *

"Long story short," Darjeeling said. "It was mostly sharing stories, and then Camomile wanted us to do it."

"Do what?" the Ooarai girls asked.

"Turn the colony into a city-state," she said.

The Ooarai girls all gasped.

"Eh?!" they replied. "How?"

"Remember that we can fix and modify tanks?" Darjeeling asked. "Plus, we can somehow repair our own clothing, although we cannot change it? And we can construct stuff seemingly out of materials from our surroundings?"

The Ooarai girls mumbled in agreement. They admitted that their magic was beyond anything that they could even comprehend.

"Long story short," Darjeeling said. "Camomile and Comfrey both revealed that all Chosen girls can actually construct entire buildings, and even cause plants to grow rapidly."

The girls stared, both amazed and shocked at the revelation.

"Camomile and Comfrey were tired from construction," Darjeeling said. "So, they wanted us to help. And so we did."

"After a month," she continued. "We succeeded, and if you want to see the base, it is now more of a mini state, perhaps a city-state."

"And," Miho said. "What happened, that you all are here, as outcasts?"

Darjeeling's face fell, looking down at her almost-empty cup of tea.

"However," Darjeeling sighed. "Something...happened."

"What happened?" everybody asked, especially Miho.

"..."

* * *

"What are you talking about?" Darjeeling gasped, trying to stay cool.

Camomile crossed her arms, grinning a little slyly at Darjeeling, Assam, and Orange Pekoe. All three were stunned at what Camomile said. To make matters worse, she was sitting in the seat of a particularly ornate desk. It was the seat of leadership, with Comfrey standing next to Camomile.

"As you can see," Camomile said, leaning on her seat with a smirk. "We think that your policies are a little too...lax."

"What are you talking about?" Assam asked, as gently as she could. However, her anger was apparently, slowly seething out of her.

"Darjeeling," Camomile said, staring at Darjeeling. "I know that you are technically the leader, Darjeeling. Specifically, you are the Representative Minister of the St. Gloriana Enclave."

"And why are you on it?" Assam asked again, gritting her teeth.

"I AM HERE!" Rosehip suddenly boomed smashing through the doors. Despite her strength, the doors did not crack, as she stumbled into view, chains around her limbs.

"You definitely were up to something," Darjeeling said in a low, calm voice. "What are you up to?"

Camomile rolled her eyes, but maintained her sinister smile.

"I pulled a string," she replied. "Remember that General Trio has already left onboard? The Ark Royal has left to gather up more reinforcements. In reality, I did not tell him this..."

Her smile grew even bigger.

"The truth is," she said. "Ships here normally cannot enter. Only the presence of a Chosen One can allow even the biggest of ships to enter."

Darjeeling, Assam, and Orange Pekoe all gasped, while Rosehip was too focused on smashing her chains to hear.

"You sly snake," Assam said, gritting her teeth.

Orange Pekoe gawked, too shocked to say anything, her face pale.

"What happened?" Rosehip asked, after taking off her binds.

"Rosehip-san," Assam replied in a low growl. "We have been betrayed."

"Eh?" Rosehip gasped.

"And how were you able to do this?" asked Darjeeling. "Tricking General Trio into leaving, not realizing that he cannot re-enter again. Plus, you pulled more strings to get yourself into my position, not to mention that you were able to convince most of the girls to think..."

She gritted her teeth, trying to remain calm.

"A little bird told me," she said.

"Another way of saying," Darjeeling now hissed. "That somebody told you, and you're just hiding it from us."

"Spot on," Comfrey finally spoke. "I was the one who did it."

"What?!" all four girls gasped.

"In a way," she added. "But long story short, one of our allies told us about what we can actually do and such. Pretty much, we manipulated you into turning the colony into a real base of power. Now that you have done it, thank you. Please be good with us."

Darjeeling and Assam both shook, while Orange Pekoe covered her mouth in shock. Rosehip stared, shocked at the sudden revelation.

"We are not in agreement with this," Darjeeling said. "As Representative Minister, our goal is to explore and understand this land, not to turn this new state into a dictatorship."

"It's not really your choice," Camomile replied. "Your policies were a little too...forgiving. I have a new policy: 'Might Makes Right.'"

All except Darjeeling blinked in confusion, while Darjeeling frowned.

"I know that you were up to something," Darjeeling replied in a low voice. "You two were the only girls named after something that is not tea. You pulled some strings, allowing even the Tea Garden as a whole to vote to let you all keep your names. Do not think that your so-called blue blood will cover up your sins."

She said the last sentence with a slight hiss, her anger seeping out more and more obviously.

"Is that why?!" Orange Pekoe and Assam both asked, shocked.

"I thought it sounded nice," Rosehip said. "That two of our club members are named after flowers, like I am."

"Yours is tea," Darjeeling said, almost hissing. "They, however, cheated their way."

"What?!" the others asked, aghast.

"It's called politics," Camomile replied, getting up. "In order to gain power, you use any means to gain it. Even in legal, civil settings, it's all about outsmarting the enemy. And we outsmarted the alumnae, and outsmarted you."

She snapped her finger, and Darjeeling suddenly pushed Rosehip.

"Wha-" Rosehip gasped, as she bounced off of the floor, and got up quickly. In a split second, some chains suddenly wrapped around the other three, immobilizing them.

"Nuts!" Comfrey roared. "Camomile, you missed her!"

"Just get her!" Camomile groaned, holding out a strange remote. "One-on-one, how good is that?"

Comfrey rolled her eyes, as Camomile pressed another button. The doors suddenly shut.

"Get ready to submit," Comfrey said, summoning her weapons: a pair of broadswords with some strange, cyan markings on the blades.

"Oops!" Rosehip said, as she ran around.

"Come back here!" Comfrey screamed, as she gave chase. Unknown to her, Rosehip was deliberately buying her teammates some time.

"I can still move my legs a little," Darjeeling whispered.

"What are you going to do?" Pekoe asked. "My legs are bound!"

Unknown to even Camomile, the magical binds that immobilized the girls did not totally wrap around Darjeeling's legs. Apparently, the binds were not totally flawless; the binds that were supposed to bind her legs, instead, bound Pekoe.

"Pekoe," Darjeeling whispered. "Stay still; hide my legs, as I try and pull something."

She replied with a silent nod, as Assam pretended to taunt Camomile, in order to distract her further.

"What are you going to be?" Assam mocked. "A king over this land?! Phony King of St. Gloriana?!"

Camomile pretended to not listen, cupping her ears and making faces at the bound girls.

Rosehip continued to run around, dodging Comfrey's attacks left-and-right.

"Aim..." Darjeeling whispered. "Pekoe, when I say 'now,' lean away."

She nodded.

After repeated circles around the room, Comfrey finally cornered Rosehip.

"Gotcha," she growled, smirking as she pointed a blade at her throat. "Stay still, and we can get this right without bloodshed."

Rosehip gulped, as she stared at Camomile, who smiled and stared back.

It was the moment that Darjeeling wanted.

"Now," she whispered.

Pekoe leaned away, giving Darjeeling a full view of Camomile. She immediately took off one of her shoes, and kicked it at Camomile.

"Wha-" Camomile gasped, as the shoe struck her right cheek, causing her to glare at Darjeeling.

"Dirty lady!" she growled. "That was rude to throw a shoe at me!"

"You got hit by a shoe?!" Comfrey asked in mockery, turning to look.

Rosehip saw the opportunity. She elbowed Comfrey out of the way, ran as fast as she could, and tackled Camomile.

"Got it!" she screamed, snatched the remote, and pressed a button.

All binds loosened, and the girls immediately sprang into action.

"Sorry for this unladylike behavior!" Orange Pekoe and Assam both shouted, as they tackled and immobilized Comfrey, disarming her.

Suddenly, an arrow shot through, and the girls looked.

"Oh no," the girls gasped.

Darjeeling said nothing, but stared as a longbow with an intricate, braid-like pattern decorated the wood. A Chosen girl with a brown braid stared at them.

"Good thing," Camomile said, smirking. "That Rukuriri is on our side now."

Rosehip, Assam, and Orange Pekoe all gasped. A regiment of soldiers suddenly appeared from behind Rukuriri.

"No choice then," Darjeeling sighed. "Ladies, follow me!"

Assam, Orange Pekoe, and Rosehip all followed Darjeeling, as the four girls crashed through the wall-sized glass window, falling down.

* * *

"And what happened?" all of the Ooarai girls asked, gasping.

After that moment, all four became quiet. The whole crowd was tense, as Darjeeling sighed visibly, sipping her tea, even though there was none. Assam and Orange Pekoe both stayed still, while Rosehip shook.

"Long story short!" Rosehip interjected. "We came down, and ran as fast as we could! After miles after miles of escaping from our own peers-brrr, it feels wrong to be chased by our own girls!-we sighted our Crusader! We had to fight our way, knocked them all, and we left!"

"No wonder," Miho said. "You girls have only the Crusader; last time we saw you, you all had the Churchill."

"But these..." Yukari trailed off, seeing the ten normal-looking girls.

"They actually helped us to escape," Darjeeling broke her silence. "Eight of them opened the gates, allowing our tank to escape. We let them come with us. Miles away, we met two more, who joined us because they did not approve of the sudden change of authority."

"Afterwards," Darjeeling said. "We struggled."

"A lot," all of the St. Gloriana girls admitted, sighing in unison.

"Of course!" Yukari interjected. "Do you all...even know how to survive in the wild?"

"Only Rosehip," said Assam, sighing. "For all her crazy antics, her sense of willingness to hunt was really crucial."

"We are British-themed," one of the normal girls groaned. "Not some American hunter or some wilderness survival expert!"

All of the St. Gloriana sighed in relief.

"It has been only a month," Darjeeling admitted. "Or longer."

"40 days?" Miho asked.

"That's right!" both the Hippo Team and Assam declared, causing them to blush in embarrassment.

"Now that I see it," Mako said. "This area here is quite stable."

"Huh?" the St. Gloriana girls asked.

Darjeeling gasped.

"Yes," she replied. "Mako-san, you have noticed it. You see, I have a feeling that there is something protecting this area."

"What is?" everybody, including other St. Gloriana girls asked.

"There is..." Darjeeling began, then trailed off. Her cup suddenly shook, then she regained her composure, as she sighed.

"There is a vault," she said. "That only I know where it is. It has some kind of inscription, but more importantly, some weird energy was flowing out of it."

"Do you remember that inscription?" Mako asked.

"It is odd," Darjeeling admitted. "Something about Viragos or something."

Miho and a few of the Ooarai girls gasped, as they recalled the Nuroks' prophecy about the Viragos.

"Plus," she continued. "It said about powers beyond powers that...talked about destroying the Source that Killed California or something. Something about the Orb..."

Suddenly, Miho shook, and felt her head spin. She suddenly wobbled rapidly, and she saw something glow from her chest, hidden only by the fur of Joey the baby koala.

"Yip-yip!" the joey cried. "Mama girl! Yip-yip!"

"Miho?" her friends gasped, as she shook again, and her vision turned dark.

"Miho!"

"MIHOOOOO!"

* * *

 ***: Trio was cussing. I am no fan of cussing, so profanity is out of the question. If I have to include it, it's either censored, or in some way that you all know.**

 **So, here we are. I originally wanted this chapter to be longer, but decided against it. Instead, the next chapter will start from here, and it will be an "info dump," showing how the world of St. Gloriana state looks like. This is going to be fun, as I had fun researching on the UK, in order to portray the state. In other words, expect some influence from Tolkien's way of describing his world.**

 **I love Tolkien's ideas, so bear with me.**

 **I give a shout-out to aGuestfromGreece45 for beta reading my draft.**

 **I give a shout-out to Anime Psychologist for his insights on psychology; I credit him for his ideas on how to realistically depict the girls' mindset. Although my story is NOT as emotional as his, I love his dedication to a specific idea.**

 **But yeah, please review, like, follow etc.**

 **And thank you, and panzer vor!**

 **(Plus, the title takes its name from two "falls" that happened in the story. I hope that you can see them. Hint: one is by Darjeeling and her group, and the other is by Miho.)**


	16. Chapter 16: Dream and Forest

**Greetings from SeekerMeeker. I decide to take a longer break, but here it is:**

* * *

 **Girls Wild Rise**

 **Chapter 16: Dream and Forest**

"Not another dream..."

Miho groaned, but fixed herself, dusting her uniform. She checked herself, and nodded.

"My usual uniform," she noted. "Except for my shoes, which are moccasins from the Nuroks. Wait, I was wearing these in the...never mind."

She then looked around.

"What is this dream?" she pondered out loud.

It looked like she was in the middle of a dark, vast room, although she knew that she was in a dream. However, she could perfectly see her own skin and limbs.

"Odd," she wondered. "It's as if there is a light here."

"I have found you..."

She shuddered, looking around rapidly, on full alert.

"Who-" she began, then shut her mouth.

"I found you..." the same cold voice whispered.

Miho thought the voice sounded...familiar.

"Wait a minute!" she gasped, then stretched out her hands, trying to summon her weapon.

 **Nothing happened.**

Suddenly, a light appeared, putting her in a spotlight. On impulse, she shielded her eyes with her left hand.

"I got you!" it gave off an eerie, high-pitched scream. Before she realized it, she glimpsed what looked like a fragment of glass pierce her throat.

 **"Augh!" she gasped, her hands immediately up to her neck, trying to pull the fragment away.**

It wedged deeper and deeper, trying to cut her throat. She gasped.

"Ha-augh-ah!' she panted, as the cut got deeper and deeper.

"Finally," it hissed. "You may have destroyed me, but a few of my pieces still remain!"

"How-how-" she gasped, trying to keep the blade away from her most vital veins within.

"Ah," it hissed. "I will tell you, since it will prolong your pain. See, when you destroyed me, you _did_ destroy me. But we are Artifacts, not living beings. We can still...try and exist, somehow. My desire to destroy you...kept me at least...still on this Earth."

Miho gasped, trying to breathe.

"And," the fragment hissed, cutting deeper, so that the shard touched her jugular veins, among her most important veins.

She decided to stay calm, focused on breathing to gain the most oxygen possible. She kept using her hands to try and at least immobilize the shard.

"I decided to use what little power I have," the shard continued to speak in its strange, sinister voice. "To keep one of my shards, four of them, in a different dimension...which I had no idea what it was."

 _So_ , Miho thought. _Even the Orb is neither almighty or omniscient..._

"But," it hissed. "That did not matter; I have found you, and I am going to blow your neck, just as you did to me."

 _Can't move_ , she internally gasped. _No-nothing is happening so far..._

"Now," it hissed.

She felt a sharp sensation, and she gasped. A point of the shard cut into a jugular vein, almost ripping it.

Miho stayed calm, knowing that panicking would only worsen the bleeding.

 **"Go ahead," it mocked. "You can't move. Nothing is happening. You can reach to anything...anyone...Nothing is happening . You can try and reach your SAVE file, if this was all a mere game. No, I kill you now, you're done for good."***

"Ah," it cackled. "Before I cut you, I found you while wondering in that weird dimension, and I realized that I was in some sort of 'dream dimension.' And I found out that I can tap into you, especially once you somehow got into a dream state."

"And," Miho gasped. "You-no, both us, somehow sucked in here."

"Correct," it hissed.

She felt it cutting her vein, finally causing what felt like a trail to fall down her neck.

"Now," it hissed again. "Die-augh!"

The shard screeched, coming out of her throat. Miho held her throat, gasping.

"Wha-" she tried to speak, but coughed. She gulped, holding her throat with her left hand. Suddenly, her right hand glowed, and her sword appeared, and she immediately revved its twin engine.

 _Brrr-brr-brrrummm!_

"How..." the fragment of the Orb hissed. "How..."

"..." something mumbled from her chest.

She looked down, her eyes wide open.

Something flashed between her breasts, and she glimpsed what looked like a shard of glass.

"You..." the fragment of the Orb hissed. "Ah...so, you stuck to her, fragment of...hmm?"

"..." the mysterious fragment inside of her chest said nothing, but Miho felt it...

She suddenly had a flash of visions, of being stuck between some rocks. Then, she saw a baby rabbit squealing in pain, its screams echoing in the cave. Then, she saw its mother, and-

Miho gasped, as she realized that it was the fragment that shone, and stuck to her chest as she was helping the Amami rabbit out. She then checked her left hand.

The blood was gone, and so was the cut.

"WHO is that fragment?" the fragment of the Orb hissed.

"I...I don't know," Miho replied, confused by it calling the shard "who." "It must have stuck to me at some point, when I helped a rabbit out."

"A rabbit?" the fragment of the Orb hissed. "Wait a minute, inside a hole?"

"A cave," Miho replied, her sword raised.

"Wait..." the fragment mumbled, then gasped. "What?! You! You were dead beyond dead! How-how did you?!"

"Huh?" Miho asked, confused.

"..." the fragment inside of her chest said nothing, but pulsed with energy. Suddenly, Miho felt something increase inside of her.

"OK...?" Miho reacted, confused. "Whatever you are, thank you."

"NO!" the fragment of the Orb screamed, but Miho dashed at it.

 _Slash!_

Miho ran towards the shard of the Orb, which was trying to fly away. However, the shard inside of her chest gave her a huge boost of energy, and Miho effortlessly caught up with the fragment. Her blade whirling with a blinding light, she slew the shard.

"No..." it groaned, as the fragment disintegrated. "But at least there are three more..."

The fragment then completely disappeared, while Miho panted.

"Now..." Miho pondered, looking around. "Can I...wake up?"

She tensed, then turned around. She saw...a man.

"Who-who are you?" she asked, brandishing her sword.

"..." the man in a dim silhouette said nothing.

"Umm," she spoke. "May I...go home?"

He nodded, and Miho barely noticed his smile, but his clothing looked quite plain. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers.

* * *

 **Same forest...**

 **Darjeeling's Hideout**

 **8:00 AM; November 21, 20XX**

"Miho!"

Miho blinked.

"Eh?" she reacted. She realized that she was lying on the ground, the soft grass touching her face.

"Thank goodness!" the girls sighed in relief, as Miho continued to blink and looked up.

A rare face of great stress and relief watched her.

"Ah," she said. "Darjeeling-san, so-sorry for that."

"Good grief!" Darjeeling replied, hand over her heart. "You almost gave us a heart attack!"

"Wha-what happened?" Miho asked, as she got up.

"Yip-yip!" Joey cried, cuddling up to her. "Miho-yip! Mama girl! You OK?"

She smiled, patting it.

"I am," she replied. "But what happened?"

"So-something!" a voice shook.

Miho craned her neck. Her eyes saw Rosehip, trembling. Her face was pale.

"At the part," Assam said, despite trying to stay cool. "When Darjeeling mentioned something about 'Orb,' something flashed by, and struck you."

"Something like a glass shard!" a couple of girls screeched.

Multiple voices rang out, both in shock and in relief, as the girls seemingly talked nonsense.

"Calm down," Miho tried to shout. "Please!"

The girls soon calmed down.

"When it did," Darjeeling finally spoke. "You started to lose consciousness..."

"How long?" Miho asked, fixing her clothing, as Joey rubbed its nose against her stomach.

"Five minutes," Assam replied, gasping too.

"Wow," Miho replied, as she patted the koala.

"But it felt like an hour!" some of the girls screamed again, including most of the St. Gloriana girls.

"And," Rosehip finally spoke, although still shaking. "We were talking for 55 minutes, only for you to be-be!"

Rosehip breathed in and out, very loud. Miho smiled apologetically.

"It's not your fault," Darjeeling said, as she regained her composure, despite her voice. "But I guess...we should rest for the day."

The girls all nodded.

"And explore around," Azusa said. "We're new here."

"Ah!" the St. Gloriana girls replied.

"We should," Assam said. "But Miho..."

Miho stood up, sighing in relief, as Joey climbed up and held onto her right shoulder.

"I am fine," she replied. "I feel much better."

"No-no," Darjeeling said, coughing. "Sorry, I think we'll sit down for now. But..."

"Ah," Miho said. "I will tell you what happened."

Miho then quickly told them the story, except for the part about the fragment inside of her chest, which she called "something." Plus, she did not mention the mysterious man she saw, who somehow helped her to escape that place.

 _Thank you_ , she thought. _Whoever you are._

"That's how it happened?" asked Azusa.

"And I am saved," Miho replied.

"Whatever that was," Assam noted. "It was good to come at the right time."

"Have you heard the saying?" Darjeeling began. "There is a time for-"

She coughed violently.

"Here is more tea," Hana replied, giving her a cup.

"Thank you," she replied, sipping more.

"So," Miho said. "I guess we'll just...rest?"

Joey then yawned, and went into Miho's bosom.

"Aww..." many of the girls reacted.

Darjeeling smiled, and got up with a sigh.

"Welcome to the Lincoln Forest," she replied, sipping her tea. "Hopefully it will go well."

* * *

 **Lincoln Forest, New Cal**

 **Darjeeling's Hideout**

 **5:00 AM; December 1, 20XX**

" _Ohayo gozaimasu_ ," Miho said, stretching out her limbs as she got out of the cave.

The sun did not even peek, but its powerful, seemingly omnipresent rays were starting to penetrate through, the sky brightening up from black to deep blue. Birds chirped in the forest, as another day began.

It had been about a week, but the girls finally did it. All of the St. Gloriana girls were able to finally dress up and sleep well, so much so that a few of them preferred to avoid thinking about the previous weeks of "torture."

 _"It's good to talk about such things,"_ Saori's words echoed inside of Miho's head, as she talked to three of the St. Gloriana girls. _"That way, you appreciate what you have now."_

Since last week, the Ooarai girls worked intensely, transforming the meager camp into a proper, defensive base. The girls used both their own arms and their tanks to move some giant trees, in order to provide both shade and protection (most of them were fruit or nut trees). Then, the girls put up hundreds of fences and poles, which they then covered with grapevines and other edible food plants. Thus, the base now blended easily into the forest, so that it was easier to find it on the ground, rather than above.

Plus, they had easy access to food.

 _"Thank you so much," Darjeeling said. "That way, we are safe from the flying drones."_

 _"The...Reaper drones?" asked Yukari._

 _"Yes," she replied._

 _Some of the Ooarai girls, including Miho, shivered._

She shivered.

"Oh..." she groaned. "We still flinch at those drones."

On the ground level, the trees and the fences made for walls; behind them were more walls, which were made of a combination of concrete, metal, and other solids salvaged from the nearby landfill. Within the walls, it was almost paradise, especially for the St. Gloriana girls.

 _"Showers!"_

 _"Kitchen!"_

 _"Tanks!"_

 _"And thank you so much!"_

The St. Gloriana girls' reactions still echoed inside of her ears. Even after a week, some of the St. Gloriana girls spoke as if they had never experienced such blessings in life. Indeed, Miho could not help but pity them. **St. Gloriana was a school famous for girls groomed into an elegant life of being a good lady, not a place to learn how to survive in the wild.** Apparently, Rosehip and her tank teammates were the only St. Gloriana girls who were able to at least tolerate the wilderness, using their survival gear to barely help everyone survive.

Miho blinked.

"Oh yeah!" she remembered, as she rushed back in, only to tiptoe.

Using their powers, the girls managed to clean up the cave, and used the rocks to turn into actual walls and ceiling, so that the interior felt like a giant, underground hallway.

"It looks like something from a Dwarven city," Miho mumbled, as she carefully walked by beds after beds.

The cave was the girls' dormitory, in which all 22 Ooarai girls and all 14 St. Gloriana girls slept together. Despite the latter's objection, the Ooarai girls gave them the best beds, which were the only beds with mattresses, salvaged from the landfill. The 10 normal girls were the only ones inside, snoring to various degrees.

Apparently, Chosen Ones required less sleep, so that they were able to wake up earlier than the normal ones. Indeed, the normal girls apparently suffered through a huge amount of stress; after all those weeks of survival, having a real, comfy bed with a well-protected base finally relieved the girls.

She found her bed, and she rummaged through the bag next to it.

"Good," she sighed in relief, as she checked her most prized possessions:

18 Boko dolls of various sizes, mostly small, stared up at her. She smiled back.

"I am glad to have these," she said, as she closed the bag carefully.

She snuck out, and breathed in the fresh morning air.

"Being Chosen is useful here," Saori grunted nearby, as she cooked some food. "Oh, Miporin! Isn't it true?"

"Yes," Miho said, nodding as she joined in and helped with the cooking. "At least our powers not only allow us to construct this camp, but also to heal and repair damages."

Now, the camp bore very little resemblance to its previous state about a week ago. It looked more like a well-hidden, "underground" bunker, except the "inside" had all of the necessities that a typical girl wanted: a public bathroom and sauna, a kitchen area, a dining area, an armory to store some items, and even a gym, where the girls practiced some of their skills. Each area was at least partially indoors, with the kitchen totally enclosed, in order to keep out the insects and other pests out.

The bathroom area looked virtually identical to public saunas back in Japan; all of the plumbing apparatuses brought in water from a nearby spring. The kitchen area was bustling with activity, as Saori and Miho both were checking at least 12 stew pots, three ovens, and even a microwave.

After a while, Saori spoke.

"Miporin," she said. "You can go; I know you're busy. I am almost done here."

"Are you sure?"

Saori nodded.

"Your help is appreciated elsewhere," she replied, as she checked a huge pot that was boiling with venison and root vegetables.

"Thanks," Miho replied, as she cleaned herself, and left the kitchen.

Miho stood, looking around again. The wind blew in her face, causing her hair to flow in the motion.

"Ah..." she sighed, as she surveyed around.

 **According to Darjeeling, the Lincoln Forest was a name that she personally coined, as the forest was not only green, but also had hues of blue and yellow. As Miho looked more closely, the trees had green canopies, but the nearby mountains' fogs seemed to twist the sunlight, causing some trees to appear blue or yellow. She also saw that the trees here were mostly tropical ones, such as ebony and fig. However, she also saw many oaks, which she found odd.**

"Oaks in a jungle?" Miho pondered.

"Oaks can live in tropical areas," Mako moaned, sauntering into view. Joey the koala was sitting on top of her head; apparently, she was tired from trying to hold it, but it refused.

Mako was originally looking after Joey, although it was more like a chase game, as Joey refused to let Mako even cuddle her. Yukari was on the lookout, surveying from a secret outpost. Hana was out hunting.

"Now that I think about it," Miho said, as Joey climbed down and ran up to her. "Where is everybody else?"

Mako sighed.

"Everybody told me to tell you," she replied, as Joey cuddled up to Miho (Mako gave a quick glance, as Joey dug into Miho's ample chest). "I guess I was the only one doing nothing. Ahem...You already know where we five are. Anzu and her team went out with Darjeeling for a private discussion. Duck Team is out hunting, alongside the Hippo Team and Hana. Rabbit Team is out gathering some wild food, alongside Assam and Orange Pekoe."

"And Rosehip?" Miho asked.

Mako sighed.

"You sure know and care about everyone," she said. "Rosehip is scouting out again."

"Oh."

The two stared in silence, as their ears started to prick.

"Hmm?" Miho blinked. "I think she's here."

"Eh?" Mako began. "What do-"

"BOOM!" a voice thundered, as the Crusader appeared, flying high above a young tree, only to crash into a larger, stronger one.

"Rosehip-sama!" a few voices moaned in the distance.

Miho giggled, as Rosehip got out of her tank, sighing in big relief, while Orange Pekoe and Assam ran towards the tank, shaking their heads in disbelief.

"Please be quiet!" Assam admonished her. "Sure, we're safe, but don't blow our cover!"

"I will keep that in mind!" Rosehip roared, saluting.

Assam and Pekoe both sighed, as Rosehip parked her Crusader right next to the M3 Lee. All five tanks were still in a half-circle, guarding the settlement.

Assam and Pekoe then went away, then returned with the Rabbit Team. They all were carrying buckets and baskets full of all kinds of fruits and vegetables nearby.

"Mostly berries," Assam noted, as they checked. "Bilberries, raspberries, and blackberries."

"Yuck!" Karina made a face, her mouth stained blue. "Are these blueberries?"

"No," Assam explained. "Bilberries have a smooth outline at the end of the stalks, while blueberries have a star-shaped outline. Bilberries are from Eurasia, while blueberries are from North America."

"Blueberries taste better," Karina declared, and her teammates agreed. Saki did not even eat one; she stared at it, then merely dropped it back into a basket.

"We'll turn them into something more edible," Assam said. "In the UK, they are usually eaten as pies, jellies, and jams."

"At least the strawberries are great!" Yuuki replied, munching on a large piece. "Sigh...if only my boyfriend was here."

The girls around her groaned.

 _Grrr..._

"Am I hungry?" asked Aya. "Or am I longing?"

The Rabbit Team girls sighed, and a single St. Gloriana girl came out, yawning.

"Oh-ohayo gozaimasu," she replied, and the others greeted her.

"Girls!" Saori called out. "It's breakfast time!"

 _Grrr..._

 _Grrr..._

 _Grrr..._

Multiple growls echoed.

"Of course," Miho giggled, rubbing her stomach. "Let's go and eat."

* * *

 **Two hours later...**

"Ah..."

All of the girls groaned, satisfied. Breakfast was a hearty affair, especially for the Chosen Ones. They ate all kinds of meats and veggies, cooked in various ways (especially stewed, grilled, and broiled), as if they had not eaten in days. They also had mushrooms and eggs. In fact, Darjeeling and her company taught the others how to cook the full English breakfast, and that was essentially what they had.

"Except no toast," Assam noted.

Most of the girls groaned.

"Bread..."

"Rice..."

 _Grrr..._

Miho and Darjeeling both giggled.

"We will see if we can get both," Darjeeling replied. "Now, girls, let us go about our business; I need to have a moment with Miho."

* * *

 **Lincoln Forest, New Cal**

 **Owl Overlook**

 **9:00 AM; December 1, 20XX**

"This is the Owl Overlook."

Darjeeling showed them a very high point on a hill, surrounded by numerous trees. However, due to the elevation, the girls easily saw a road not very far away. Its dark, gleaming asphalt contrasted with the fresh, green foliage of the surrounding trees.

Darjeeling turned to look at her crowd: all members of the Anglerfish and Turtle Teams, plus Assam, Orange Pekoe, and Rosehip.

"Don't everyone know this?" Saori asked.

"Not all," Darjeeling said. "This is for security reasons: we originally had 12 St. Gloriana girls..."

She stared down.

"Oh..." the Ooarai girls gasped.

"We had to do," Pekoe sighed. "What we had to do."

"Good thing we did not kill them," Rosehip remarked, nonchalant. "It was just that we had to knock them, then Assam put poison into their mouths."

"Poison?!" the Ooarai girls gasped.

"A type of poison that messes with your memory," Assam explained. "That was one reason for Darjeeling's conflict with Camomile and Comfrey: the two...brought in some 'mind-controlling' drugs."

The Ooarai girls reacted variously, from gasping to shivering.

"It turns out," Pekoe said. "That the doses are some kind of psychological drugs, which disrupt with memories. The two wanted to use them, in order to prevent secrets from coming out."

"How ironic," Darjeeling sighed. "That we destroyed them all, and of all the things, we kept two of them, just in case."

"That means!" Momo gawked. "That you all used the two doses on the two traitors!"

"That's right," Darjeeling replied, sipping her cup of tea. "They originally claimed to be just mere girls wandering around in St. Gloriana. They actually tried to act casual, as if they were not from St. Gloriana."

"Well," Assam noted. "Habits are hard to break; they started to drink tea after a while, and long story short, we found them to be traitors."

"So then," Miho said, surveying the surroundings. "You keep this lookout a secret, just in case, right?"

"Right," Darjeeling said, as the girls looked around.

"That road looks weird," Saori admitted. "It looks like a stain in the beauty of the forest."

Something flickered inside of Miho's chest, but nobody noticed it...

...except for one.

Mako blinked.

"Nishizumi-san," she began.

"Ah!" Rosehip almost shouted, her mouth cupped by Assam.

They all looked at Rosehip, then watched the road.

* * *

 **Lincoln Forest, New Cal**

 **Owl Overlook**

 **9:10 AM; December 1, 20XX**

A silhouette of a tall, attractive girl appeared.

"Is she alone?" Saori whispered.

"We can talk normally from here," Darjeeling replied. "But no shouting, please."

The girls watched. The girl clearly looked like someone from St. Gloriana, with an elegant demeanor, as she sauntered through the road with a bright red dress. Then, she looked around, as if looking for someone.

"What is she doing?" Yukari asked. "A well-dressed girl in the middle of nowhere?"

Suddenly, the girl knelt down, and she made a crying position.

The girls watched, tense.

Behind, a man armed to the teeth, with a large, futuristic-looking rifle and clad in full armor marched towards her.

"What is he doing?" Darjeeling and her friends asked, puzzled but concerned.

Making signs, he butted her with the barrel of his rifle.

"Oh no..." Miho gasped.

"What?" began Saori. "What's going-Miporin?!"

She was gone in a flash, rushing through the woods.

"Follow her," Darjeeling replied. "We will get the others."

* * *

"Hold it right there."

Miho declared, blocking the road. She stood on top of the hard, hot asphalt, its black surface glittering in the sunlight above.

She saw what she exactly anticipated: the man was pulling the right arm of the girl.

"Eh?" the soldier grunted, glaring at her through his visor.

Miho sweated, as the man's visor hid his eyes, but she knew what was going to happen.

"A lonely soldier," Miho noted. "Alone with a tall, pretty girl. This is no game; what are you doing?"

"Move aside," the soldier growled. "The Tea Garden told me to deal with outlaws, and she was one."

"How is she an outlaw?" Miho continued, staying calm. "And why is she's dressed like that?"

"P-please!" the tall girl begged. "I've done nothing wrong! Do-don't let him take me!"

"Please release her," Miho asked gently.

"She's a criminal," the soldier said. "Step aside, little gi-ahem! Young girl."

He looked up at Miho, who towered over him. She was staying calm, although her hands twitched, eager to summon her weapon. Despite that, the soldier did not flinch, but glared at her.

"Please release her," Miho asked again, still patient.

"What's with you?" the soldier asked. "She's just a student. In fact, she's actually supposed to drop out this year!"

The girl moaned.

"We care about everyone, high and low," Miho said, shaking but stern. "And, why are you in the middle of nowhere?"

"None of your business," the soldier grunted.

"Aren't you supposed to patrol St. Gloriana?" she asked, her heart starting to pulse harder. "And for what crime did she commit?"

"Not paying her tax," he retorted.

"You collected them thrice from me in one week!" the girl moaned.

"I just collect," he snarled, pulling her. "I don't keep track, anyway."

Miho breathed in, and out, trying to stay calm.

"Anyway," he replied. "With Camomile in power, we soldiers have more freedom to do as we wish. In fact, I intend to take payment in something more...intimate than money."

"You..." Miho sighed, with subtle but clear anger showing up.

"Lusting lunatic!" a voice roared, as something red and pink jumped into the air. "LET HER GO!"

 _Twang!_

"Augh!" the soldier shouted, as an arrow shot through his left thigh.

Although it missed, it ripped out enough skin to inflict unbearable pain. He collapsed unto the road, screaming.

"That was unbelievable!" Rosehip roared, seething with fury, her bow in hand.

Unlike her, Miho was calm enough to notice some interesting details:

 **Rosehip wielded a mahogany-red composite bow, but covered in what looked like metallic wild roses. Both tips of the bow also looked like...some sort of miniature bike pedals.**

Behind her, the rest of the girls showed up, clearly indignant. All of them were flashing their weapons, but the most interesting were those of the St. Gloriana:

 **Orange Pekoe wielded a giant sword, which looked like a fancy Zweihander. Assam wielded out a pair of medium-size swords, fancy like Pekoe's. In fact, of the four, only Rosehip had a non-sword Hand of God.**

 **Darjeeling wielded a glorious kite shield, and a single lance, which was pointed to the point of looking like a sword.**

"Soldier," Darjeeling said calmly but coldly, touching the man's chin with the tip of her weapon.

He shivered, but stayed still.

"What were you trying to do?" she asked again, more of a rhetorical question.

He flinched.

"What were you even thinking?!" she hissed, her tip digging deep into the man's throat. Although it did not cut, the man sincerely thought that it was going to.

"Darjeeling-san," a soft voice whispered.

The man gawked, eyes wide open as a colossal sword flashed, its saw sides whirling and buzzing. It moved away Darjeeling's weapon, before it could pierce the man's throat.

"Can I kill this...monster?" she hissed.

Miho said nothing, but glared back at the soldier.

"Soldier," she whispered.

"Ye-ye-yes?"

"Please take off your helmet."

Without hesitation, the soldier took off his helmet.

Blue eyes.

Blond hair.

White skin.

He was a British man.

"This is NOT your territory!" Darjeeling said, slamming her left boot into his chest on impulse.

"Careful," Miho said, as she pointed her own sword's tip at the soldier. "But soldier, who are you? More importantly, do you even know of this place?"

He hiccuped.

"N-no," he stammered. "To-to be honest, I-I took the girl he-here...justtoavoidgettingcaught."

He slurred the last few words, but they were enough. Darjeeling pushed him deeper, her boot digging deep into his chest.

"And what do you want to do?" she hissed.

"We already know," Miho said, touching Darjeeling on the right shoulder. "Darjeeling-san, let me deal with him."

Sighing, Darjeeling let go, and Miho stared down at him, who gulped in response.

"I can tell that you don't know this place," she admitted.

"Huh?"

"Which is so much better."

BAM!

Miho delivered a karate chop with her left hand, as her right held the sword. He hiccuped, knocked unconscious.

"What should we do with this soldier?" asked Assam, who was slowly seething.

"Search his body," Darjeeling said. "Take away what's important, and throw his body to the animals. His act was horror beyond horror."

"Yes to the first two parts," Miho replied. "But for the last...put him on the side of a road far away, and we'll check him later."

"I suggest highly," Darjeeling said. "That we should kill him."

"You don't mind bloodshed," Miho said. "But I do."

Darjeeling stared at Miho, their eyes meeting. She sighed.

"Alright," Darjeeling said. "But Miho-san."

"Hai?" she responded.

"Thank you for being with us," she said. "Without you, we would have..."

Darjeeling drifted off, still remembering the horrors of living in the wild, without the comforts of her school base.

Miho patted her, then hugged her.

"Let's survive this," she replied, as Darjeeling shed a single tear.

"Let us deal with him instead," a familiar voice echoed.

Everybody started, then looked. Miho and her Ooarai friends gasped.

"Nigh-Nightwalker-san!" Miho uttered, as three Nuroks came out of the woods.

"Nightwalker...san?" Nighthawk asked, as he approached the girls.

All except five gasped, as they did not expect three of their old allies to follow them. All three were dressed in their battle gear: some sort of leather armor reminiscent of bulletproof vests, except decorated with intricate markings and pictures of animals, people, and other signs, Nurok style.

Darjeeling, Assam, and Orange Pekoe all blinked, surprised at the sudden appearance of three strange, dark-skinned men. Rosehip, however, was a different story.

"Ooh!" she squealed. "Three cool-looking men! They are as elegant as you, Darjeeling-sama!"

The three Nuroks blinked, perplexed.

"He-hello?" the tall girl stammered. "Wel-welcome to our...forest area?"

The three Nurok men all stared at the company.

"Well," Nighthawk said, making a wave with his right hand, a Nurok way of greeting.

Miho reciprocated, smiling as she made the same hand motion.

"So you all came with us," she inferred.

"Our chiefs told us," Lucas said, pounding his chest with his right fist.

"Let's hope this is worth our time," Mike grunted, trying to appear cool and reserved.

"Ooh," Rosehip said. "You look very cool and calm."

Mike growled, but when his eyes rested upon her, he stared.

Pink hair, as pink as the cherry blossoms.

Orange eyes, with a vibrant slant to them.

Mike lost his demeanor, and smiled.

"Aww," Lucas teased, elbowing him. "You like her, don't you?"

"I DO NOT!" Mike roared, pushing him away. "It-it's not li-like I like a white girl or-or-or something!"

Saori stared, suspicious. Mike gave her the looks of saying: "Don't you dare say it, girl!"

"A Nurok is in love with a British-ish lady," Mako grunted nonchalantly.

Darjeeling smiled, while Assam and Orange Pekoe both gasped. Rosehip, however, was still Rosehip.

"Ooh!" she squealed. "Who's he in love with? And Nurok?"

"They are our friends," Miho said. "We saved their town, and they seem to repay the favor. Nuroks are native Americans blessed with magic, just like us Chosen Ones."

 **"But different," Lucas said. "Unlike the Chosen Ones, who are all female, we Nuroks all can practice magic, male and female."**

"Oh!" the girls reacted with awe.

"So, you are now...enchanted like us?" asked Pekoe.

"Magical Indians!" Rosehip squealed with delight, dancing a little.

Miho noticed Mike giving glances at the pink-haired girl.

"So!" Nighthawk said. "We sorry not for coming in secret, but we want to help you all."

"Th-thank you," Miho said, bowing down.

"But why did you call me...'Nightwalker-san'?" he asked.

"That's our way of saying it," Mako plainly replied. "We are from Japan. In Japan, it's our way of saying 'Mr.' or 'Chief.'"

"Ah!" the three men responded, as Mike threw the body of the soldier over his shoulders, as if he was carrying his quarry.

 **"What are you going to do with him?" Miho asked.**

 **"Since you cannot bear to kill a man yet," said Mike. "We'll deal with him, under our own laws."**

 **"Oh," Miho replied. "Well, we trust your judgment, then."**

 **"Thank you," Mike said. "Finally, you are saying something quite pragmatic, for once."**

 **"She's innocent," Lucas said.**

 **"No," he retorted. "She's maturing."**

 **"You are," Lucas teased.**

 **"Be quiet!" he groaned, as the girls nearby giggled.**

Rosehip giggled as well, and Mike blushed at her face.

"I-I am going back to our town," Mike said. "Nighthawk, Lucas. Watch them for me, if I don't come back."

"You heard everything?" Miho gasped.

"We did," they answered.

"And I will report this to the chiefs," Mike said. "In the meantime, farewell."

The St. Gloriana girls gasped, as the man jumped onto a tree branch before leaping away with unusual agility.

"Well," Darjeeling said. "So, you are Nuroks, who are refugees in New Cal?"

"We are native Americans," Nighthawk said. "Who have chosen to stay in New Cal, in order to forge our own path, as a truly native tribe, independent of the US government."

 **"US government..." Darjeeling mumbled, her face suddenly downcast, albeit not very obviously.**

Miho and Saori, however, both noticed this, and had concern on their own faces.

"Say," Lucas said, turning to the tall girl, whom the girls saved. "Who are you? You don't sound like an American lady."

"Oh! Hi-hi!" the girl greeted, giving a curtsy. "I-I am Lily Brown, from the United Kingdom."

"Ah," the Nuroks and the Ooarai girls noted.

"So," Nighthawk said. "What did the soldier say about you being 'dropped' from school or something?"

"Actually," Lily admitted with a blush. "I was just studying abroad, and I was supposed to leave this year-"

"And the apocalypse happened," Mako interjected, leading to Lily nodding.

 **"But there is more," Lily admitted, sounding more and more confident with each word. "The soldier dragged me out, not only because of not having enough money for tax, but also because I was a 'dangerous liability' to the...so-called Tea Garden in power."**

"What do you mean?" everybody around her asked in disbelief.

"I actually know a little too much," she said. "About the security measures and all in **San Gloria**."

"San Gloria?" Miho asked. "Do you mean St. Gloriana?"

"Ah," Lily and the other St. Gloriana girls responded.

"We are still St. Gloriana in a way," Darjeeling admitted. "But we can explain later. Lily-san, why are you a liability?"

"More like a danger to them," said Lily. "To both Camomile and Comfrey."

All of the girls stared at her with anticipation.

 **"I know a few escape routes," she explained. "Through which you can enter and leave St. Gloriana's base. Quite a number of us girls use it, in order to circumvent the increasingly brutal rule under the new leaders."**

 **"Those disgusting high ladies!" Rosehip growled, trying to act tough. "I remember that they are nobles! But they are ruling worse than ladies!"**

 **"Hold your tongue," Darjeeling said. "But you do make good points. From what we know, St. Gloriana's girls are suffering; they are being taxed and regulated in ways that are oppressive even for the British soldiers. The soldiers there comply, just to gain more freedom, not because they like the duo."**

 **Miho thought deeply, trying to keep all of these in mind.**

"The walls are still quite strong and magical," Lily admitted. "In fact, they are starting to try and build more, around the farms, just to regulate them."

Darjeeling shook her head in disbelief, while her friends reacted variously, from anger to pity.

"And furthermore," Lily said. "I know when the dump trucks will arrive, with Chosen Ones onboard."

Everybody around her gasped.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Darjeeling said, turning to stare at them all. "You all know what to do."

* * *

 **An hour later...**

"Welcome to...ahem. The landfill."

The Anglerfish Team, the Turtle Team, and the Duck Team came along with the four St. Gloriana Chosen girls. Even after coming to it a few times, each time felt like a nightmare. **It did not help that the Chosen Ones had a stronger sense of smell than an average human.**

"Augh!" Saori groaned, pinching her throat.

The landfill looked like a typical landfill site back in California, except it was not walled in. The girls regularly visited this site, as the dump trucks frequently brought in trash, sometimes daily. It was here that the girls salvaged a variety of goods, from mattresses to even the occasional canned food. Miho shook her head, as she was amazed at the amount of waste.

"This is bad," Hana said, surgical mask covering her mouth and especially her nose.

"It's full of..." Pekoe sighed. "Totally non-trash stuff."

"At least they smell better," remarked Yukari, wrinkling her face. "Than those we had to rummage back in California."

All of the St. Gloriana girls, except Rosehip, shuddered.

"Rosehip did all the hard work," Pekoe admitted with a sigh. "90% of the time back in California, she found most of the stuff we need..."

"And cleaning them AND her," Assam finished. "Skipping was a necessary evil."

"Skipping?" the Duck Team asked.

"British term for dumpster diving," said Mako. "What we did back in California."

"Ooh!" the Duck Team declared, elated.

"Wilderness survival," groaned Pekoe. "Is not a place for ladies."

"At least we have our friends here," Darjeeling said, holding hands with Miho.

"Thanks," Miho said.

The girls also did some dumpster diving, which the Ooarai girls were adept at, which the St. Gloriana girls...well, you know.

"Augh," Darjeeling shook her head. "Camomile and Comfrey are starting to trash the place. In fact, since last month, this landfill had doubled in size.

"Good thing they threw in things that we need," Yukari said.

"One man's trash is another man's treasure," Miho said.

"That's right!" the Hippo Team declared.

"That saying has multiple origins," Orange Pekoe remarked. "Even I have a hard time knowing who really said it, but it's an ancient proverb since the 17th century. Yotam Ottolenghi is one of those who made the modern-day version."

"Shakespeare said it too," Darjeeling said.

"Please," Assam said, as she surveyed the landfill. "We need to focus on survival-oh! Sorry, I still relapse into that."

"We understand," Darjeeling said. "We sometimes forget that we are safe."

"And that some are now looking for us," Pekoe sighed.

"Sort of," Assam added.

"Although they are told to watch for us," said Pekoe. "In reality, most of the girls in St. Gloriana sympathize with us, but they cannot really protest until Darjeeling is back in. For now, we can just enter, as long as we are careful."

"Are those two really wanting you..." began Yukari, but trailed off.

"Best case scenario," said Assam. "They will just imprison Darjeeling."

"Worst case?" asked Mako.

"Throw her to be eaten by lions," Assam whispered.

"Eh?!" the Ooarai girls gasped.

"Camomile and Comfrey already...did it to a number of girls," said Assam. "They tried to keep it a secret, but it's already out. Now, they start prosecuting anyone who knows the rumor."

The Ooarai girls shook their heads in disbelief, but continued to rummage the landfill. They were now silent, as the revelation started to dawn on them.

"We have to save your school base," Miho declared.

"We agree," Pekoe, Assam, and Rosehip spoke.

"You know," Saori interjected. "Another good thing about being Chosen is that we can clean ourselves, ridding ourselves of germs. Why are you all still using trash pickers?"

Darjeeling, Assam, and Orange Pekoe all wielded long tools with tongs at the tips.

"It's a lady thing," Assam said. "Even we have standards."

Saori just shrugged, as they all continued to "dive" through the pile.

"Found something!"

"What about this?"

"Oh boy!"

Yukari squealed, rubbing her cheeks against an old model of a tank.

"This is the Mobile Land Mine!" she shouted with glee. "A remote-controlled explosive device from WWII! It's of British origin!"

She rubbed her cheeks again and again, garnering weird looks from the St. Gloriana girls.

"It's her thing," Saori explained. "She likes to collect models of tanks."

"Wait a second," Darjeeling said, approaching Yukari. "Akiyama-san, did you say it was a mine?"

The girls flinched.

"It's a model," Yukari said. "Why?"

"May I see that?"

Blinking, she handed it over, and Darjeeling inspected it, flipping around with her gloved hands. Her white gloves flashed in the sunlight above.

"Hmm," she mumbled. "Assam-san, did you hear about them 'throwing the trash' out or something?"

"Before we got exiled," said Assam. "I did, but I did not give much thought to it."

"I believe that there is a reason why," Darjeeling said, her voice suddenly lowering. "I think..."

She suddenly stomped away, her gait more forceful than usual. The others blinked, then followed.

"I knew it," she hissed.

The girls gasped, as their eyes rested upon the dilapidated remains of a Churchill.

"Good thing we can fix it!" Yukari squealed. "And isn't that the tank that you all used to defeat us?"

"Yes," Darjeeling hissed. "Do you see the irony?"

The girls pondered, then gasped.

"They really want us gone," Darjeeling growled. "That model was on display at our local museum inside of the base. I suspected that they were trying to 'purge' any memory of Darjeeling, which included tanks."

Yukari gasped, while the others shook their heads.

We have to get in soon..." she stuttered. "And-and I don't want to see all those tanks be trashed!"

"But how?" Pekoe asked, as Yukari and Miho wasted no time in checking the Churchill. "We are a little too big to blend in."

"Of course," Mako interjected, as they all approached the tank. "From the looks of it, the St. Gloriana girls are about as tall as the men and women from the Nurok town. While we..."

They all looked at each other.

"Wait," began Hana. "Did we-"

"Chosen Ones," said a deep voice, as two figures appeared.

"Nighthawk-san!" said Miho, approaching them. "And Lucas-san!"

"You don't have to add 'san' to our names," said Lucas lightheartedly. "We're not Japanese, you know."

"It's a habit," Saori explained, as they joined the duo.

Unlike the girls, the Nuroks went out to check around the forest, as they were curious about the "British forest." They also served as scouts, looking for any interesting sign. They had appeared periodically, sometimes in time for meal, and sometimes just to check on the girls. Six of the St. Gloriana "normal" girls, including Lily, stared at the men. However, the duo were more interested in protecting the settlement, as they did not want the girls to be in any trouble.

"So," Miho said. "What bring you all here?"

"We have company," Nighthawk said, changing his demeanor. "A truck is coming."

The girls tensed up.

"Girls," said Miho and Darjeeling simultaneously. "Get ready."

* * *

 **30 minutes later...**

"But aren't we all too big for this job?" moaned a particularly tall girl, as she and her driver sat on the dump truck, approaching the landfill.

"It's punishment," said the driver. "And stop blaming me, Ava-san."

"Who's saying that," said Ava. "Dana-san, let's just finish this."

The truck stopped at the landfill, and the duo went out

"Finally," said Dana. "Ava-san, turn it on."

Groaning, Ava pushed a button, and the truck's mechanism roared as the cargo lifted up, and its content slid down.

"Stand fast," said a calm voice.

The two girls turned around, rifles in hand.

"Da-Darjeeling-san?!" Ava gasped, as she sighted the exiled leader.

Darjeeling approached, shield and lance in hand. Her lance was white with a red tip and a blue stripe that circled the guard area, so that when seen straight, the whole lance appeared like a roundel of the Royal Air Force. Her shield was a kite shield, white with blue boundaries and red stripes in the middle.

"And who are you?!" Dana screamed, rifle pointing at a girl next to her.

A girl with a dark blue jacket and white skirt approached, her feet covered in strange moccasins. In her right hand was a colossal sword, with dual sawblades in place of the usual blades. Both whirled and buzzed, unnerving the duo.

"Ava and Dana-san," Darjeeling said. "This is my friend, who helped me and others to survive, while you all had to side with Camomile and Comfrey, of all the people."

"We-we want to!" Ava screamed, rifle pointing at her own exiled leader. "She-she promised us prestige and positions!"

"And now," Darjeeling said, almost sarcastically. "You are dumping in trash."

The duo flinched, gritting their teeth at the revelation.

"Bu-but!" Dana growled. "We-we had no choice, and we-we just simply want to li-live in peace!"

"And not care about us?" Darjeeling asked. "I remember you too, trying to capture us. I asked you two personally, to help me escape. Instead, you betrayed us."

The two girls shuddered, while Miho carefully analyzed the duo.

"Both have the same postures," she remarked. "As us two."

"Who are you?!" Dana screamed, finger on the trigger.

"And did they do something to you two?" Darjeeling asked, ignoring the question for safety reason. "You two are as tall as us."

Ava rudely stuck out her tongue.

"Camomile gave us a serum," began Dana. "And-oops!"

She cupped her mouth shut, but it was too late. Both Darjeeling and Miho blinked, then gasped.

"What?!" both reacted.

"Enough!" two deep voices boomed, as the two Nuroks ambushed the girls. Nighthawk personally knocked down Dana with a karate chop, while Lucas did the same with Ava. Both girls were knocked out cold.

"Can we send these two to our town?" asked Lucas, a rare frown on his face.

"No," Darjeeling said. "We'll bring them to camp, and I trust that Assam and Pekoe will deal with them. Miho-san, let's go."

She nodded in response, as they quickly stripped the girls of their belongings. Miho inspected the uniform, sniffing and made a face in response.

"No," she replied. "I am not wearing this; anyway, I prefer to not steal from her, since it's hers."

"Me neither," Darjeeling admitted.

"I found something!" Noriko replied, lifting up something from the newly dumped pile.

The others came out of their hiding, and helped to secure the area. Noriko raised something up, for others to see.

It was a chest.

"That's a dress chest," Darjeeling replied, as she got it and opened it up. "Yes, these uniforms will do."

* * *

 **Lincoln Forest, New Cal**

 **On a highway...**

 **11:00 AM; December 1, 20XX**

"How are you doing?" Darjeeling asked, as she drove the truck.

Miho blushed, as she struggled with her new uniform.

The two were inside of the truck, driving on a road towards their destination. For miles and miles, they were the only ones around, as the forest sped by.

"This feels alright," Miho said. "Except for my chest part..."

The two glimpsed at it. Darjeeling blushed.

"Now that you say it," Darjeeling replied, turning her eyes away. "Being Chosen altered us, so that we are taller and more attractive. But Miho-san...your chest is a lot bigger than I remembered."

Miho said nothing, as she looked down.

 _Shard of thing or something_ , Miho thought. _Are you the one doing this?_

It said nothing.

 _Will you...stop making my chest bigger?_

She hoped that the shard heard her or something. Based on her experience with the fragment of the Orb, she realized that somehow, a shard of another object had stuck into her chest. Now, she guessed the reason for why her chest is unusually large. Of course, there was also Joey, who popped its head out.

"Yip-yip," it replied. "Miho-mama, matey. Are we there yet?"

"Not yet," she replied, patting it. "Please get it if we are in danger."

"OK," it replied, watching the front of the truck.

After more miles, the forest started to give way to a savanna. Miho looked out in admiration, gazing at the seemingly endless plains of grass and trees, with animals all around.

"Don't think that this will last," Darjeeling said ominously.

Suddenly, they sighted another scene, which caused Miho to flinch.

A large number of girls were slashing and plowing the fields, with soldiers and other guards all around. Chopping down trees and razing the lands, the girls seemed to not care about what they were even doing. In fact, Miho noticed frowns and sad faces, as the girls labored intensely.

"Move!" one of the guards roared, shoving a slow-moving girl with his high-powered rifle. She almost tripped, but continued to move on.

"Welcome to St. Gloriana," Darjeeling sighed, as they sighted the city. "Have you heard the saying? Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people."

"That was..." Miho pondered. Not remembering, she was about to reach, then recalled.

"Proverbs 14:34," she replied.

Darjeeling sighed.

"There is a reason why," she said, as they looked at the city.

Miho gasped.

"Oh no..."

* * *

 **There you go; next scene is describing the city of St. Gloriana, now known as San Gloria Empire. This will establish more of what I have in mind. Until next time...**

 **Review, like, and follow as usual.**

* * *

 ***: I like to reference other media. A reference to SAVE file from "Undertale."**

 **Plus, the scene of the girls encountering the soldier, who was about to...do the unthinkable upon a lonely girl, is based on a scene from a game called "Conquest of the Longbow." It is where I get inspiration for some Robin Hood elements.**

* * *

 **And now...panzer vor!**


	17. Chapter 17: In and Out

**Greetings from SeekerMeeker.**

 **Please bear with me, as I struggle with a writer's block, not to mention that I had an unnecessary amount of stress.**

 **Fortunately, here it is:**

* * *

 **Girls Wild Rise**

 **Chapter 17: In and Out**

 **The capital city of San Gloria**

 **San Gloria City, San Gloria Empire**

 **11:30 AM; December 1, 20XX**

"Oh no," Miho gasped again.

"Yes," Darjeeling sighed. "You get the point."

Miho held her heart with her right hand, as she sighted the city...

Or what it was.

It looked just like a picturesque, European city, the kind that she saw in tourist books about Europe. Rustic houses lined together side-by-side, flanking cobblestone-like roads. Thousands of people, mostly girls, walked back and forth. Rising above the houses were a few towering buildings and other structures that looked like something from a European city. However, Miho noticed a vague replica of the Big Ben and the Tower Bridge in the distance.

"It looks...just like London," Miho gasped. "But..."

As the girls drew nearer, they saw more. In sharp contrast to the overall view, the houses were clearly in need of renovation, with white walls exposing the timber underneath. The roads had multiple cracks and a few missing blocks of stone. People after people walked by, ignoring each other, even bumping without saying a single word of apology. Only the towering buildings appeared to be in a good condition.

"I wish that it was like London," Darjeeling said, sighing. "Only not much better."

Passing through the neighborhood, Miho noticed a colossal wall and a gate.

"Wait a minute," Miho said. "Why is this part of city outside of the wall?"

"Only loyal girls allowed in," Darjeeling curtly replied. Miho covered her mouth.

"Anyway," she continued. "Miho-san, do I look good?"

"Hai," Miho replied.

Darjeeling was really asking for her disguise, which she did well. Both girls wore their uniform hat, which looked somewhat like berets, but dirtier. While Miho was able to pile all of her hair into her hat, Darjeeling decided to let down her hair. Her long, blond hair cascaded down like a beautiful curtain.

"Good thing Ava has long hair," Darjeeling remarked. "That helps me with disguise."

The truck creaked to a stop at the gate, which looked just like a medieval castle gate, complete with an actual portcullis to match.

"Back from skip?" grunted a voice from above.

Miho noted that it did not sound very professional, which worried her, as she casually tried to look out. Darjeeling immediately pulled her in.

"Sorry," she said. "Keep your face covered, please. Just in case."

"Ah!" Miho gasped, nodding.

"Yes," Darjeeling replied, looking out of her window; she covered one of her eyes with her hair. "We are."

"Open the gate!" the soldier shouted.

The gate groaned, then the mechanisms within worked, raising up the jail-like grille up.

"I don't like this," Miho admitted. "Plus, although the soldier looked British, he did not sound very nice."

"You just touched," Darjeeling sighed, as she drove the truck through. "The tip of the iceberg."

They drove through, and Miho gawked at the sharp contrast.

Here, the houses were much better kept, and there were more of the tall skyscraper-like structures. However, there were even fewer people here, walking around rather fast. The road was also made of what looked like asphalt, but more metallic and...colder.

Miho shivered.

"Something's not right about this," Miho noted.

"Yip-yip..." Joey moaned from inside. Miho patted the faint head.

"Stay still," she soothed it. Blinking, Joey then squeezed back in.

"Say," Miho said. "Joey, are you..."

Miho trailed off, wondering whether to ask.

"I am boy koala," Joey replied. "If you're asking me as boy or girl. Sorry to not introduce myself: I am Joey, baby koala wanting to look for mommy."

Miho smiled, patting him.

"We will find your mom," she replied.

Smiling back and squealing, Joey went back in. Miho giggled, as Joey moved around inside, and she felt him snuggle.

"Hehe," Miho replied, then sighed. "I wish that life was easier than this."

As the truck continued to roll, multiple vendors sold all kinds of goods, from teacups to unusual food jars. The aroma of the food wafted into the truck, as the two girls smelled and sighed in relief.

"Ah..." Miho started to calm down, when suddenly, another smell wafted in.

She made a face.

"Oh," Miho reacted, covering her nose carefully, so as to not offend Darjeeling.

"I apologize," she said. "Miho-san, they did not really clean up the streets well."

Miho glanced out. Sure enough, litter dotted the black streets, with girls dressed in gray sweatshirts, gray jumpers, and gray trousers swept the street, trying to remove the mess.

Suddenly, Darjeeling stopped the truck, then drove it aside. A gray-ish green military van came over, and two armored soldiers came out.

"Get going," one of them grunted, as he opened the back doors.

Miho gasped in silence, as a small group of girls, all dressed in gray, came out with cuffs. The soldiers then removed the cuffs, but the girls were not in any mood to escape.

"Help them out," one of the soldiers grunted.

The girls sighed and shivered, standing still.

"Move!" he shouted.

The girls trembled.

"Move!" he roared, butting one of them with the barrel of his rifle.

The girls reluctantly relented, and got some cleaning equipment from the few, who were already trying to sweep the street.

"Let's go," Darjeeling said, driving the truck away.

"Why are they in chains?" Miho asked. "Are they prisoners or something?"

 **"Tax evasion," Darjeeling replied. "Prisoners for evading taxes."**

"Eh?" Miho blinked, puzzled.

"You can tell," she explained. "By the collars they wear: yellow collars in black letters: TAX THIEF."

Miho checked the car mirrors, and saw one of the soldiers holding it. Indeed, it had the same black letters: TAX THIEF.

"Tax evasion?" Miho began. "But what-"

"Here is one sign," Darjeeling interjected, stopping the truck.

In front of them was a girl, clean with the usual St. Gloriana school uniform. However, her face was frowning, and her left arm had a silver band.

"Tax," she gruffly declared, moving to Miho's window and getting into Miho's face. "And don't think that your huge size will scare me."

"Eh?" Miho reacted, startled.

"Sorry," Darjeeling said, taking out a few silver coins. "Pound sterlings."

She handed these to Miho, who then handed them to the girl. She nodded, then rushed off.

"Who was she?" Miho asked innocently.

"Tax collector," Darjeeling replied.

"Eh?" she asked. "What tax did I need to pay?"

"Passenger tax," Darjeeling replied. "Since you were not driving."

Miho blinked, startled.

"Pas-passenger tax?" Miho asked, as Darjeeling continued to drive. "Wh-what does that mean?"

"You will see more," was all Darjeeling replied, before growing silent.

The girls then drove to a waste management station, which was white on the outside, cleaner than the streets. Darjeeling immediately pulled her hat down; seeing this, Miho emulated her.

"We are here," Darjeeling said, half to Miho, and half to three girls outside.

The three nodded, as Darjeeling parked the truck, and she and Miho got out. Miho noticed that one of the three had a silver band on her left arm.

"Let's move," Darjeeling said, quickly walking away. Miho followed, looking back quickly at the trio, who were inspecting the truck.

"Why did we have to move away?" Miho asked, as they went into a room of the station, and they used their keys (from the girls they captured) to unlock some lockers.

"There is another tax with that," Darjeeling explained. "Yes, I see your face; there are multiple types of taxes here."

Miho opened a locker, using her own key.

"Fresh new clothes," Darjeeling sighed in relief. "Let's get moving."

* * *

 **The capital city of San Gloria**

 **San Gloria City, San Gloria Empire**

 **1:00 PM; December 1, 20XX**

"How do you feel?"

"Odd."

Darjeeling stood up elegant as ever, as she breathed in the air, far away from the waste management center. The two were now standing at a truck stop. Both were now in the St. Gloriana school uniform, as blue and clean as ever.

Miho kept moving her body, as her St. Gloriana uniform felt a little...tight.

"This feels odd," she admitted, as she checked her body. The uniform had a shirt and skirt, much like her Ooarai one. However, this one featured full-length, black tights, which felt...tight.

Darjeeling giggled.

"You feel more...voluptuous?" Darjeeling asked, slightly teasing.

"I guess so," Miho said, blushing. "So, where to go?"

"Follow me," she replied, and the two walked.

"Not that many people here," Miho remarked.

"Some are openly loyal to Camomile and Comfrey," she replied. "While a good number, perhaps most, are not."

"And they are..." Miho noted with sadness in her voice.

"Outside of the walls," Darjeeling replied with a sigh, as they walked on.

"How do you know so much?" Miho asked. "Wait, you and others did sneak in, didn't you?"

Darjeeling nodded.

"But let's move quick," she replied. "Before a tax collector will tax us again."

"For what?" Miho asked, as she was starting to find all the taxing...odd.

 **"Walking tax," Darjeeling replied.**

Miho gawked.

The two walked on, passing by numerous girls whispering to each other.

"It was more pleasant than this," Darjeeling remarked, sighing.

Suddenly, Miho bumped into a smaller, normal girl.

"Uf!" the normal girl groaned.

"So-sorry!" Miho apologized.

The girl said nothing, stared up at Miho with an eye of horror, then silently walked away, a little quickly.

"Miho-san," Darjeeling said. "Why are you holding your wallet?"

"O-oh!" Miho realized. "I felt it leaving my pocket, so I held it, and the girl was right in front of me."

"Ah," Darjeeling said, sighing. "She was trying to steal your wallet."

"Eh?!" she gasped.

"I am impressed," Darjeeling continued, strolling. "That you managed to save your wallet."

"It's...just training, I guess?" she tried to explain. "Okaa-san..."

She remembered her mother, and she was standing in a sort of daze.

"Miho-san!" Darjeeling's voice echoed.

"Oh!" she snapped back into reality, and walked quickly together, just as a tax collector caught another girl. All she heard was: "Walking tax."

The two girls kept walking on, as Darjeeling deliberately took detours, winding down alleyways and corners.

"Avoiding the tax?" Miho asked.

Darjeeling silently nodded, as they continued on and on. Miho lost track of time, as they winded through alleys after alleys. Indeed, the city of St. Gloriana looked like London, but it was more ominous.

"I am glad that we have no cameras here," Darjeeling suddenly spoke, as they walked through a particularly dark alley.

"Wh-why?" Miho asked.

"London has hundreds of cameras," Darjeeling replied. "Imagine them watching your every move."

Miho twitched.

"And here we are," Darjeeling said with a smile, the first smile that Miho saw since entering the city.

She looked up. It looked like a rustic, British house. No, it was fancier than that, with an outdoor seating area with chairs and tables nicely tidied up. On top was the sign: COD CLUB.

"Cod Club?" Miho asked, but she followed Darjeeling, who dashed in.

Inside, Miho blinked, as the sight of dark but clean wood greeted her. The counters, the chairs, the floor, and almost everything that was not food looked like made of high-quality wood. Simple but clean chandeliers hanged from ceilings, illuminating the interior with dim but warm lights.

"Welcome to Cod Club," a soft, kind voice echoed, as a girl dressed in a nice Victorian-era maid costume came out of the kitchen. "How may I serve..."

She stared, jaw dropping.

"I am back," Darjeeling replied.

"I-I-may-I-I..." the hostess stuttered. Then, she cleared her throat, then walked to the kitchen door, and made a series of taps and knocks.

"Are you kidding?!" a voice almost roared, as a British-looking man stormed out. With bright, blue eyes and shiny blond hair, he looked both handsome and nice. Miho giggled, as his apron was white with red polka dots.

"Da-Darjeeling-sama!" he gasped. "You're back, already?!"

"With a friend," she replied, showing him to Miho. Three more girls came out, and they joined the man and the hostess.

"Quick!" the man boomed, and one of the girls immediately walked to the door, as fast as possible, and changed the sign to "CLOSED."

"Good thing you came in just now," the man said, sighing in relief. "We actually intended to close in a few minutes, so you were here in the nick of time."

He and the four girls sat on the counter, together with Miho and Darjeeling.

"And who is this new friend of yours?" he asked, checking out Miho. Miho, however, noticed that his eyes were looking frequently down at her chest.

She blushed.

"I-I am," Miho stammered, then breathed in deeply. "I am Nishizumi Miho."

"Ah," the man began. "Nishi...Nishizumi Miho?!"

All except Darjeeling and Miho gasped, gawking at her.

"The Legend?!" the man asked, incredulous.

"Oh," Miho noted. It was a while since she was called the "Legend," so hearing it was both weird and...welcoming.

"But first things first!" the man declared, clapping his hands. "Let's get what you all want! Fish and chips again?"

Darjeeling nodded.

"We'll bring in the afternoon tea as well," one of the girls replied.

"What would you like?" one of the girls asked Miho.

"Fish and chips," she replied, since that was the only thing that she heard.

"It's an easy one!" one of the other girls replied, storming into the kitchen.

"At least we have a few warm toasts!" the hostess declared, putting out two plates of bread. "Enjoy! Oh, here are some jam and all."

The hostess put out three jars, and Miho read them:

CHUTNEY CHUMMY

STRAWBERRY SQUEEZE

And...

"Marmite?" Miho asked, as she inspected the jar in her hands.

"Oh!" the hostess replied, embarrassment etched on her face. "So-sorry, but I forgot that you're not from the UK."

"What is Marmite?" Miho asked.

"It is a yeast spread," Darjeeling explained. "A type of food sauce, it is infamous for its powerful flavor. The company notes its ability to polarize people, hence the slogan: 'Love it or hate it.'"

She then popped it open. A strong odor wafted into her nose.

"Uh oh," the five workers of the restaurant noted. "Here we go..."

Sniff...

Sniff-sniff...

"This smells familiar," Miho commented, spooning some out, and covering a toast with it.

"Familiar?!" all of them, including Darjeeling, responded, although Darjeeling held back her reaction in a calm demeanor. However, her eyes betrayed her surprise.

Miho lifted up the toast, and bit it.

"Mm!" she responded. "Vitam-R!"

"Vi...Vitam-R?" the people asked.

"Back in Kuromorimine," Miho explained. "We had these jars of paste too. We call them Vitam-R."

"So," the British man inferred. "This Vitam-R is the German version of Marmite, right?"

Miho nodded, as she relished the flavor.

"So now," Darjeeling said, with a serious tone. "Let us get to the point; what is going on, now?"

 **"Ahem," the British man cleared his throat, as the others got back into their own business. Three of them got into the kitchen, while the hostess went around, checking and cleaning up the interior. Miho and Darjeeling both listened, with the former eating her toast of Marmite.**

 **"Miss Darjeeling," the man began his report. "Forgive our treatment, but none of us expected you to come this early at this time around. So, your friend _is_ the Legend Miho Nishizumi."**

"Yes," Miho replied.

"Your uniform is...umm...nice," he remarked.

Miho blushed.

"Please mind your manners," Darjeeling replied. "So William-san, what is going on now? Since we have risked coming here, so please be on point."

"Your pardon," William replied. "I'll speak swiftly and to the point."

 **"We have been gathering up as many reports as possible," he said. "It's the same as usual; Camomile and Comfrey have been abusing their offices lately, adding new taxes or altering current ones. With soldiers by her side, and the two being Chosen, nobody can really oppose them, unless we have the right 'spark' to remove them from office."**

 **"But I have wanted to avoid a civil war," Darjeeling said, sighing. "While I am not against killing a human, I really DO mind if our elegant streets are stained with St. Gloriana blood."**

Miho shivered, as she bit another toast with Marmite.

"Camomile and Comfrey," he continued. "Employ all means of political and non-political compromises, outright betrayal, and even torture to ensure complete submission to their rule."

"And the Ark Royal?" Darjeeling asked.

"No report," he sighed. "Both sides have been trying to contact them and the British forces, but no luck. In fact, Camomile and Comfrey both have lied to the crowd, claiming that they had all the authority to rule. In reality, they conspired with some...secret factions."

Darjeeling looked at Miho, who reciprocated with worrying eyes. The two then looked back at William.

"We also have tried to get some outside help," William said. "But Camomile and Comfrey has ensured that all of the British troops, and all of the girls who can fight, to act as guards and police forces, thus complicating the process. They have been trying to control everything lately, even putting security cameras all around!"

Both Darjeeling and Miho gasped.

"The good is," he continued. "That there were not enough; they are all only around the Tea Garden Palace. Plus, those two...usurpers did not think about producing them in factories, which they are using to create more tanks and weapons, in order to conquer other territories. That is their real motive: to turn San Gloria here into an actual empire."

"And?" Darjeeling said.

"They are working quite well right now," he sighed. "They just conquered a patch of land, and fought off a faction there. San Gloria is currently expanding its base."

Miho and Darjeeling both stared at William.

"More good news, though," William continued. "We have managed to get the right connections, and hopefully we can smuggle out some tanks out. Plus, we have sent SOS signs of sort throughout the lands, hoping to get help. For now, our hopes lie in you, Miss Darjeeling, and all your friends who are here to help."

"We will do what we can," Miho declared.

"That is Nishizumi right there," William nodded.

 _Knock-knock._

"We are closed," the hostess said, approaching the door. "Please lea-Rukuriri?!"

Miho turned around, tense. Her right arm pulsed with energy, ready to summon her weapon.

"Stay cool," Darjeeling said, standing up. "Rukuriri, welcome back."

Rukuriri came in. Like Darjeeling and Miho, she was Chosen, and towered over the "normal"-sized hostess. Instead of a school uniform, she donned a redcoat uniform, which looked fancier and more armored than the usual Senshadou uniform. It also had badges on it.

"Welcome back," Rukuriri said with a bow. "Darjeeling-sama."

"Report," Darjeeling said. Miho looked at her, then back at Rukuriri. Her right arm calmed down.

"Rukuriri is secretly one of our allies," William explained. "It was Darjeeling who told her to stay behind, and be loyal and good as much as she could."

Miho gasped, as the revelation dawned on her.

"Things are not going well," Rukuriri said, sweat visible on her forehead. "Camomile and Comfrey have been ordering me to send more troops into more hostile territory. I have been trying to play it safe, but things are not going well. They want me to just go out and slaughter anyone there, which I try to avoid. The only way to avoid that is to send in the Clones."

"Clones?" Miho asked.

"For reasons unknown," Darjeeling explained. "Some of our normal girls undergo a strange process...Have you heard of biology, specifically mitosis?"

"Ah!" Miho replied. "I remember that one, the one where a cell divides into two identical versions."

"Surprised that you know that one," William admitted with a whistle.

"Quit it," one of the restaurant girls groaned. William smirked in response.

 **"Yes," Darjeeling explained. "In our city, some girls can naturally clone, duplicating into multiple versions of themselves. Like the original, these girls are truly sapient and healthy; they are all identical to the original. Unlike the original, however, they are more willing to die in combat, which is why they are heavily used to spread the territory."**

Miho blinked, and she gasped. The revelation was quite a shock.

"This is one result of the magic?" Miho inferred.

"Yes," Darjeeling sighed. "All these strange phenomena...all caused by this mysterious force called **MAGIC**...well, we live in a world of tanks and manners, not of magic and the supernatural. Seeing such, however, was truly an eye-opener."

"Long story short," William said. "St. Glor-ahem! San Gloria Empire is now expanding, but at the cost of the girls being even more oppressed. These girls, no matter how strong they are, are still high school girls. They are being forced to do hard manual work, and all kinds of...slave stuff."

Darjeeling and Miho tensed up.

"While most girls here want to rebel and overthrow the duo," he continued. "They are already oppressed. Plus, we cannot really advance against their forces, until we can cut off their links with their major suppliers."

"Major suppliers?" Miho asked.

"There is that one communications tower," William said, taking out a picture and putting it on the counter. "See this?"

They crowded in to look, including Miho and Rukuriri. The picture showed various tall buildings, and a single tower that looked remarkably like the Tokyo Tower.

"That is our target," William said. "If we can hijack that, we can finally stop any potential communication with Camomile and Comfrey's allies."

"But won't that raise suspicion?" Miho asked. "Even if we shut down the tower, their allies can come in and...cause more harm."

Darjeeling sighed.

"We thought the same thing," Rukuriri admitted. "However, I was at a private meeting, where they shared some classified information."

The others stared at her, thunderstruck.

"I had to pull an unfortunate task," she admitted. "But I staged a massacre. When we rounded up a group of native Americans-"

At the last words, Miho gasped but held her tears back.

"-and told them: 'Pretend to fall down and die.' I told my top most loyal girls to shoot them, but only with rubber bullets. They all fell down, and we drenched them with fake blood to make it look convincing. For that act, Camomile and Comfrey gave me a rare privilege to enter their most secretive meetings."

"And the natives?" Miho asked, sighing in relief.

"They are safe," she said. "But I told them that they must leave, or else actually die. They thanked me for saving their lives, though."

Despite that, Rukuriri gulped.

"But boy," she admitted. "That was...too close."

Miho nodded, holding Rukuriri by the hands. Their eyes met.

"Thanks for saving them," she answered. "You did the right thing."

Rukuriri shed a single tear, and her face reminded Miho of Koume, who thanked her before for saving her life at the river long ago.

" _Thanks for saving me_ ," Koume's voice echoed inside of her head.

"So," William said. "I am sorry to break the emotion, but the meeting?"

 **"Ah," Rukuriri continued, wiping away her face. "At the meeting, Camomile and Comfrey told us that they have a problem. Their allies will not help them at all, unless they keep the tower running. If the tower fails, then it's because of the New Cal's mysterious energy waves, which somehow disrupt communication signals. Our signals always work locally, but across territories outside of the strange magical walls, which block any of the strange magical storms, they don't. Hence, Camomile and Comfrey told us to NEVER share this to anyone. They obviously know that if enough girls know, then we can rebel. Even the soldiers are starting to agitate for a revolt, but they are afraid of retribution, because Camomile and Comfrey both are of noble status, and they are connected to the British military."**

Miho shook her head, which others agreed in response.

"In other words," Rukuriri said. "We have to stage a little rebellion, one at a time. I have a plan, and it involves you two escaping from the city again..."

* * *

 **The capital city of San Gloria**

 **San Gloria City, San Gloria Empire**

 **3:00 PM; December 1, 20XX**

"You got into this easily?!"

Miho stared in amazement, as they entered the colossal warehouse.

"Like I said," Rukuriri said with a smile. "If there was one good thing about being a high-ranking official of the Tea Garden, it's that I have an easy access to this place."

"Won't there be guards around?" Miho asked with concern.

"No," Rukuriri answered with a smile. "Guards here are lazy. Anyway, there is no way to enter this warehouse except with this."

She then stared at a screen, which scanned her face, eyes, and her hands, both of them.

"Access accepted," a robotic voice echoed, before a vault-like door opened.

"Go-go-go," Rukuriri said quickly, as Miho and Darjeeling both came in, before Rukuriri closed the door to follow.

"I thought there weren't any guards," Miho whispered.

"Safety precaution," Rukuriri replied.

The three found themselves in a dark room, but they knew why.

"Let me check for the lights," Rukuriri said. "Here!"

 _Click._

"Wow," Miho vocalized her awe, as she surveyed the rows after rows of tanks, illuminating from the glow of the lights above.

"Welcome to our tank warehouse," Darjeeling and Rukuriri both pronounced with some pride in their voices.

They walked on, as Miho gazed in awe at the tanks. However, upon closer inspection, she noticed that some were...slightly dilapidated.

"What happened to your Senshadou tanks?" asked Miho.

"They call them 'useless,'" Rukuriri uttered with a sigh. "I was the one commanded that the Churchill be thrown away. That was Darjeeling's idea, in order to save it."

"Why?" Miho asked.

"For new and better tanks," Rukuriri replied, showing off the tanks.

Miho gasped, as she noticed a few familiar ones.

"Centurion!" Miho gasped.

"It was first manufactured in January 1945," Darjeeling said. "Hence, we had the privilege of getting the type of tank commanded by Alice Shimada."

"And the Sherman Firefly!" Miho uttered again, eyeing the familiar tanks, which she saw from Saunders.

"How did you all get these?" Darjeeling asked, as her voice betrayed a sense of surprise.

Rukuriri sighed.

"The leaders bribed," she replied. "Somehow, they tricked the Saunders base into giving them away, under the pretense of lacking supplies."

"But what did they bribe with?" Miho asked, incredulous that such a daring move was made.

"We sold Cheddar cheese," Rukuriri said.

Both Miho and Darjeeling blinked and gawked.

"How?!" the two girls gasped in shock.

Rukuriri shrugged.

"Those two are clever," she admitted. "That's one reason why it's hard to overthrow them."

"So..." Miho said, staring at the tanks. "Which tank should we take away, since they are really yours?"

"We really should get the Chieftain," said Rukuriri, showing off the impressive main battle tank.

Even Darjeeling eyed it with interest.

"Wait," Miho objected. "You said that the leaders do inspect this place once in a while, right?"

"But not always," Rukuriri said with a smile.

"But you said," Miho voiced. "That they in particular like to check all main battle tanks, excluding the Centurion."

"Oh," Rukuriri blinked. "Now that I think about it, Comfrey is particularly jealous about it; she checks them every...day."

Rukuriri sighed.

"But why not the Centurion?" asked Miho.

"She personally hates Alice Shimada," Rukuriri said. "Because she thinks that a little girl should not drive an 'elegant tank from the Britain' or something like that. Since it was the tank that Alice used back in the annihilation match, Comfrey hates that tank. She does not care about losing even one."

"Then," Miho said, climbing on the dark gray exterior of the tank. "Let us take this one. Anyway, it also reminds me of Alice..."

She grabbed her chest.

"Alice...Mother...Everyone..."

* * *

 **The capital city of San Gloria**

 **San Gloria City, San Gloria Empire**

 **4:30 PM; December 1, 20XX**

"Darjeeling-sama..." said a squeaky voice, as Darjeeling and Miho both waited. "How-how long are we...waiting?"

Darjeeling and Miho were sitting in their own seats, patient just like the commanders they are. However, Rukuriri was currently trying to get permission to field a Centurion; unfortunately, the process turned out to be a lot longer than expected. The driver was Ruhuna, one of the St. Gloriana girls who were sympathetic to Darjeeling; previously, Rukuriri contacted her, and she came to give her support. However, the real reason why she was driving was not to escape, but to act as a decoy, so that nobody would notice Miho or Darjeeling (plus, Rukuriri's status meant that driving a tank would get attention). She sat in the driver's seat, so that the guards could only see her, while the other two were blocked by various loads of goods. Apparently, the tanks also doubled as transport vehicles, so that they loaded their tank with the most important things possible.

The plan was to drive all the way to the gate, then Ruhuna would get out, and Miho would drive.

"Patience is key," Darjeeling said, as Miho poured a cup of tea for her. "And Miho-san, let me pour you one."

"Ha-hai!" she replied, as she handed over the teapot, and Darjeeling reciprocated.

Both girls sipped the tea.

"Ah..." both replied in relief.

"Ruhuna-san," Darjeeling said. "Have you heard the saying? 'Slow and steady wins the race'?"

"I believe that was...um..." Ruhuna scratched her head, trying to remember.

"Wasn't that a fable from Aesop?" replied Miho.

"You amaze me," Darjeeling said.

Ruhuna groaned.

"Speaking of that," Miho said. "You also have Tortoise heavy assault tanks, too!"

"I honestly do not know," Darjeeling admitted. "How our school even managed to acquire them all."

"But how did you all do?" Miho asked. "I remember that you all told us that the British SAS came in and helped you all out."

"Yes," she replied. "But to be honest, this much change? I honestly think..."

Darjeeling made a rare frown, trying to think.

"Hmm..." she pondered. "Now that you point out, I have to admit...Our girls are not this good...at gaining supplies."

"Huh?"

Before she could reply, Ruhuna's voice echoed, as the driver's seat was deliberately barricaded by crates and packages of supplies, in order to both smuggle out of the city, and to block the girls' presence from the guards outside.

"We are just going out," her voice echoed.

"Just move on," a rough voice grunted, and the girls heard a gate open, and the tank moving out.

"Don't they even check?" whispered Miho. "Whether anyone is inside?"

"They do not," Darjeeling replied. "They are quite lazy, especially when it comes to tanks that they do not care about..."

Miho pondered at the last words.

Suddenly, they heard five knocks, the secret code.

"Farewell," Darjeeling whispered, reciprocating the knocks. Basically, it was this way of saying:

 _"I want to see you more,"_ Rukuriri would have said. _"But I have to go. I wish you well, Darjeeling-sama, and Nishizumi-sama."_

 _"No worries,"_ Darjeeling would have said _. "Good luck, and I wish you well."_

The tank then drove through the gate, and the grille came down with a small thud. Then, the three girls inside breathed, and a breeze of fresh air wafted into the tank.

"We are finally free," Darjeeling replied. "Let us move on."

* * *

 **The capital city of San Gloria**

 **San Gloria City, San Gloria Empire**

 **5:30 PM; December 1, 20XX**

"That was...uneventful."

Miho was amazed, as after only about an hour of waiting, the girls all successfully drove out the Centurion. Miho peeked through a visor, and saw that the guards did not even bother to look; they simply stared into space.

"If I was a guard," Miho admitted. "I would be suspicious of why anyone will drag out a tank with no good reason, especially when the guards and girls now use modern-day tanks."

"It's really all a show," Darjeeling replied. "For now, we must stay silent; I have a feeling that we are not safe."

After driving for a few miles, Ruhuna stopped at an English thatched cottage. The girls wasted no time; they opened up the wall, allowing Ruhuna to climb out through the cupola, and she walked away. Miho then took the seat, and drove it. To her surprise, the Centurion rumbled through the road with surprising stability.

"You have a fine elegance," said Darjeeling. "To your drive."

"Oh," Miho replied. "Th-thank you."

The girls drove on...and on...until they saw a familiar flash.

"We are safe!" Miho declared.

 **Suddenly, she heard a very audible sniff, and a cry. She turned around.**

 **"What's wrong?" Miho asked, worried.**

 **"I-I am glad," Darjeeling admitted. "Tha-that...that everything is working out. You really are a godsend."**

 **"Godsend..." Miho pondered.**

Suddenly, the tank stopped.

"Miho-san?" Darjeeling asked.

"Ah...ha...haa..." Miho yawned deeply.

"You can stop," Darjeeling said.

"N-no," Miho tried to reason. "I-I think we have to...ha...haaaaa..."

"Our friends are coming," Darjeeling said, as she raised her torso halfway up the cupola. A band of girls were storming towards the tank, with one audibly jumping for joy.

"Ye-yeah..." Miho replied, her head drooping. She found it harder to keep her eyes open.

"They are coming well," Darjeeling remarked. "Miho-san? Miho-san? Miho? Miho?!"

"Zzzz..." a soft murmur echoed, as Miho slumped in her seat, breathing deeply.

"Ah," Darjeeling sighed, as she took out a blanket. It had the pattern of the UK flag on it, and she put it over Miho.

"Sleep well," she replied. "And thank you."

* * *

 **Well, it looks like Miho will have to deal with...something.**

 **And they are all safe, so stay tuned for the next chapter!**

 **(And yes, both Miho and Darjeeling were in disguise, so only a few were able to notice.)**

 **For everyone who has read, thank you so much. It's not easy to try a "fantasy take" on the Girls und Panzer series. When I look at the list of fanfics, the most popular topic is adding boys to GuP. As you can see, I am open to that, but I am a fan of letting that gradually enter through.**

 **So, thank you for all your support, and panzer...ha...HAAA...vor.**


	18. Chapter 18: Into the Tunnel

**So yes, this story will gradually go through this faction, hoping to restore San Gloria to its former glory.**

 **However, what secrets will come? What will we learn?**

 **What is the meaning of magic in New Cal?  
**

 **What about the girls? What about the tanks? Why?**

 **Curious? Well, you have to see...**

 **(These are all questions that will be answered gradually later in the chapters onwards.)**

* * *

 **Girls Wild Rise**

 **Chapter 18: Into the Tunnel**

"Hmm," she wondered.

Now, Miho was not sure whether to even react, as she was aware that she was in a dream. However, she was inside a room, sitting on a school chair, with a long, white table in front of her.

That, however, was not the reason why she was perplexed.

"What is this room?" she wondered out loud. She blinked, as she realized that the room did not echo her voice.

Looking around, she noticed that while the floor was plain, smooth, and white, the ceiling and all four walls were...strange. Weird wedges were situated almost randomly, although Miho could tell that the wedges followed certain patterns. All wedges had white colors, but while the walls all had red stripes, the ceiling had blue, with star markings.

"Is this..." Miho wondered. "Wait, didn't I see the patterns before? And why am I sitting down?"

On the desk, she noticed a piece of paper, which was as white as the table, so that she did not really notice it at first.

"What's this?"

She picked up the document, which showed nothing except for one phrase in bold black letters:

YOU WANT TO SEE THIS? ALL THREE TOWERS MUST GO, BUT IT IS IN THERE, ONE OF THEM. FIND IT, AND YOU WILL SEE.

"See...?" she wondered. However, the mysterious lights, which seemed to emanate from all of the walls and the ceiling's white stripes revealed that the paper had more words behind it. She flipped it and saw it:

THE TRUTH.

"Tower must go..." she wondered. "Ah, that's the communications tower, I guess? Wait, aren't we supposed to find just one?"

 _"Miho..."_

She jumped, getting up to look around. The voice seemed to echo from all around.

"Ah," Miho gasped, as the sound echoed all around. "This is something called...a anechoic chamber, a chamber designed to absorb reflections of sounds. That basically means that it's quiet here..."

 _"Miho..."_

"Oh," she realized. "Nevermind; I am hearing a voice."

 _"Save..."_

She sweated.

 _"Save Senshadou."_

"O...okaa-san!" Miho gasped, getting up to look around. "Mother! Okaa-san!"

The chamber's wedged walls absorbed her voice, so that there was no echo.

 _"Save..."_

Miho stood still, realizing that the chamber's special features prevented echoes, allowing for sounds to resonate even louder.

 _"Save...Senshadou."_

Suddenly, the voice stopped. Miho tensed, as the room felt eerily quiet. Suddenly, she heard her own heart beating.

 _Thump..._

 _Thump..._

 _Thump..._

 _"Save Senshadou."_

"Okaa-san! Miho called out. "What do you mean?"

 _"Save Senshadou..."_

* * *

 **Darjeeling's Hideout, Lincoln Forest, San Gloria Empire**

 **5:00 AM; December 2, 20XX**

Miho shook, as something snuggled inside of her chest.

"Yip-yip!"

"Mmm? Oh, Joey."

Joey peeked its face, staring at Miho with its black, large eyes.

Miho smiled, petting it. She raised an eyebrow.

Whatever you are, Miho thought. Fragment of something, please stop making my breasts bigger.

"..." the fragment wedged between her breasts said nothing, but Miho suspected that it was saying something. Joey was snuggling still, hiding the fragment.

"Joey," Miho said.

"Yip-yip?"

"Please get out," she said. "I have some business to deal with."

Nodding, Joey climbed out of Miho's chest, jumped down, and sauntered away. She watched until Joey was out and, noticing that nobody else (except for the San Glorian normal girls, who are sleeping) was inside, Miho got up and stretched.

She then looked down at her chest.

"Alright," she whispered. "Will you...tell me who you are?"

Silence.

"Please?" she asked.

Nothing happened.

"I know that you are a fragment of something...like the Orb," she replied. "Maybe like the Flute?"

 **"I am growing," a deep but fractured voice replied.**

Miho blinked, and gasped.

"You can talk!" she responded.

Yet it did not reply. She stayed silent, hoping it to talk again.

Nothing happened.

"Hmm," she pondered. "Alright."

She dressed herself, but as she put on her shirt and jacket, her chest...

"Please," she asked. "Can you stop enlarging my chest? I think that you are doing that, in order to hide yourself, but I will hide it for you. Please?"

Nothing happened, then the glow appeared from her chest, and her chest shrank down...only slightly.

"Good," she replied, as she stretched in her uniform. "OK, it's time to tell them something, but please be quiet, and I will be quiet in return."

The white glow appeared again, shining through her clothing.

Miho nodded.

"It's time to tell them my dream and such."

* * *

 **2 hours later...**

"So that's what happened."

"No nightmare this time, eh?"

Saori and Mako both spoke, both of them representing what everybody else felt and wanted to say. After their morning routines, from exercise to breakfast, the girls rallied together to talk about the day. First, however, Miho shared what she dreamed about.

"Definitely not scary," Mako added. "Except for the anechoic chamber thing..."

"But the message on the paper?" Hana inquired. "That was definitely mysterious."

"YOU WANT TO SEE THIS? ALL THREE TOWERS MUST GO, BUT IT IS IN THERE, ONE OF THEM. FIND IT, AND YOU WILL SEE," Assam repeated, writing each word on her notebook. "Based on this, it appears that all towers are important."

"But from our research," Orange Pekoe objected. "We just need to hit one."

"Although," Darjeeling interjected, sipping her tea. "If the wrong one is hit, others activate, and I do not know what happens if..."

She trailed off, as her shiver said enough of her true feelings.

"It's obvious!" Yukari chimed in, raising her hand. "We need to split into three groups, and strike ALL three towers at once!"

"So, Darjeeling-sama," Miho said. "You said that each tower is different. Although all three are based on the Tokyo Tower, the resemblance sort of ends there."

Darjeeling nodded.

"Remember," she replied. "We do not know much about the three, other than that they are all significant. We have to think of a way to infiltrate each one."

Nodding to Assam, she let her stand up, and open up a map to show them, and everybody crowded in to look.

"These three," Assam said curtly.

Her right finger pointed at the picture of three towers, all of them resembling the Tokyo Tower.

"Are they Tokyo Towers?" asked Karina, leaning. Her chin rested on top of a San Glorian normal girl.

"He-hey!" she groaned. "I am not a chin-rest!"

"You're cute," she suddenly said, causing the girl to fluster.

"Eh?!"

"Girls," Darjeeling and Miho both admonished them. "Please."

"I am sorry," both girls replied in response, bowing down. Miho giggled a little; seeing a seven foot-tall "normal" girl and an eight foot-tall Chosen girl both bowing down...looked both weird and comforting.

"It's obvious that we need that tower down," Assam said, ignoring the minor incident. "Specifically, all three just in case. We have no idea which ones are the 'real' one, but hitting all three is integral."

"Based on what I know," Orange Pekoe interjected. "All three are inside another set of walls."

"How many walls do you have?" Azusa asked in disbelief.

The San Glorian girls, Chosen and normal alike, looked at each other.

"Ah..." they tried to speak, but could not say it.

"Still new to STATE-building, right?" asked Mako nonchalantly, although there was a little bit of sarcasm in her voice.

"OK," Assam interjected, in order to avoid the awkward situation. "We can't just simply enter; we have to find a way in...somehow."

"But how?" asked a few girls, especially the Rabbit Team.

"We can't sneak in like what we did..." Miho notified them. "In fact, they will be on guard, now that they found out that..."

She and a few girls looked at Ava and Dana, who now joined them. Indeed, now that they were inside of the camp, the girls showed their true colors: they were among those who secretly favored Darjeeling over the current government. However, they were not exactly well-educated, but Darjeeling easily forgave them.

"The kind of thing that you would do," Darjeeling remarked, winking at Miho. "Right?"

"Eh?" she responded. "I-I am not sure, but I do what I can."

"Not too mention..." Mako interjected. "That we are over 240 cm tall."

That made everyone silent, as she told the uncomfortable truth. On average, most people in New Cal gain a sudden growth growth; even adults increase in height. However, this varied by gender; while men gained an additional foot or 30 cm in height, women gained almost two feet, or specifically 50 cm! Hence, both men and women now were about same height, although the women still retained their beautiful "bishoujo" appearance.

For Chosen Ones, however, they were about 240 cm tall, so that they were obvious. For Dana and Ava, however, the effects of the mysterious "drug" wore off, so that they shrank back to their ordinary size of about seven feet.

"You don't even know what they even gave you?" asked Assam, shaking her head as she and others gave them tea.

"Sorry," Dana admitted. "I think they gave us some anaesthetic."

"Whose idea was that?" Ava noted sarcastically.

"Please calm down," both Miho and Darjeeling interjected. "We have a mission to deal with."

Everyone nodded in agreement, slightly impressed with the duo's simultaneous remarks. Soon, they re-focused on the map, and a few paper sheets, scribbled with diagrams, notes, and all kinds of drawings about the whole San Gloria.

 **The San Gloria Empire was a very large domain, with a single city, surrounded by farms and huge swaths of wilderness. On the edges were magical barriers, marked by a blue highlighter. The city's walls were highlighted with bits of red marker.**

 **"Those are gates," Assam explained. "And this is our best bet."**

 **The girls looked. It was marked with a yellow star, and was the smallest red mark on the map.**

 **"A secret entrance?" Miho asked.**

Assam nodded.

"Big enough for a tank to go through," said Darjeeling.

"Eh?!" the girls gasped.

"Wait!" Miho interjected. "How is it possible for a secret entrance to be big enough to drive a tank through?"

"It's a drainage pipe," explained Assam. "That doubles as an escapeway. We created it, in order to drive our valuable tanks out."

"Where will it lead to?" asked Anzu, munching on her sweet potato chip.

"Right next to one of the towers," answered Assam, showing one of the towers. "Into a warehouse actually, one that is locked. Fortunately, we can hide the tanks there."

"How many tanks?" asked Karina, raising her hand.

"Ah," Assam responded. "Only up to two; the rest can be hidden in the deep bushes and trees; the drainage pipe is located right next to a dense patch of forest."

"So then!" Momo grumbled impatiently. "How are we going to do all this infiltration and all?!"

"Calm down," Yuzu reassured her. "We still need to...plan that out."

"But you are right," Orange Pekoe admitted. "While we basically know the overall plan, we need a distraction. Although the soldiers are quite lenient, at the slightest sign of intrusion, they all can activate their warning signals."

"If they do," Assam admitted. "Our plan is ruined."

The girls pondered what to do.

"Can't we just charge in?" asked Yuuki.

"Absolutely not!" the San Glorian girls responded, shaking their heads.

"Aren't we resistant to bullets?" asked Karina.

"What about the prisoners?" asked Darjeeling rhetorically. "Camomile and Comfrey like to...punish the girls, every time we try and enter."

"..." the girls became silent.

"Not exactly," Darjeeling added. "But we don't want to risk too much."

"What can we do?!" Momo roared. "I just want this nightmare to end!"

"I want to go home!"

"We need help!"

"Calm down!" Miho and her team tried to reassure the group, as hysteria started to grip the girls. "Everything will be alright!"

"Everything will be alright..." Darjeeling mumbled, pondering. "What does that mean now..."

Suddenly, a shadow flew over the map, causing the girls to fall silent and look up.

"It's a condor," Orange Pekoe noted, as it flew over them.

Miho, however, looked up.

"Saori-san," Miho uttered.

"Are you kidding?" Saori gasped, but hurried to rummage something inside of a refrigerator in the kitchen.

"Huh?" the San Glorian girls asked, confused.

Darjeeling held her breath, composed but sweating a little, as the silhouette of a giant bird flew lower and lower. Saori came out with a slab of steak. The bird croaked audibly, its hoarse voice echoing. After a while, the condor landed, shaking its head. It then sauntered towards the girls. A few San Glorian girls tensed up, while some of the Ooarai girls waved their hands, ready to summon their weapons.

"Don't worry," Miho said with a smile, as Saori handed her the hunk of flesh. "It's the bird that saved us."

"Saved you?!" many of the girls asked, shocked.

"Hello again!" Miho greeted happily. "How are you doing?"

The familiar condor grunted, nodding its head.

"You not need to feed me," it suddenly spoke.

"Yes," began Miho. "Thanks for-wait, you can talk?!"

Miho gapsed, starting. A few behind her mimicked, visibly alarmed that a SCAVENGER could even speak. Yukari put her hands to her forehead.

 **"This whole magic thing," she groaned. "Is giving me a headache!"**

"You did not talk earlier!" Miho spoke, blinking.

"Ah," the condor grunted. "I talk. But not easy."

"No vocal cords," Mako noted, shivering behind Saori. "But at least it could...now."

"That's why you cannot talk?" asked Saori. "But you can now!"

"Can," it grunted. "But hard. You right. No vok cord thing to talk."

"Condor-san," Darjeeling said, breathing deeply to calm down. "Welcome to our camp. I see that you are with us?"

"Yes," it grunted, nodding. "This girl. Fed me. I save her. Boat attacked. New...Sili-kone."

The girls, especially the Anglerfish teammates, gasped, as they knew what it was referring to.

"New Sili-kone," it continued. "Told the men. Got them. In time."

"We know the whole story," Karina interjected.

"Good," the condor grunted, its pink, bald head shining a little in the sunlight. "Can save. My talk."

"What brings you here?" asked Orange Pekoe, shivering a little despite her calm voice.

"I hear talk," the condor said. "I see. You want to. Go into. The city?"

The girls nodded.

"I help," it grunted. "Can help."

"But how?" some of the girls, including Miho, asked.

The condor made a rare smile, winking at Miho.

"I have," it grunted, making a weird hiss. "Frey-inds."

"Friends?" the girls asked.

It hissed and grunted, its voice echoing. After a while, more shadows appeared in the azure sky above.

"Vultures," Assam groaned. "Well...what can they do?"

* * *

 **Traveling through an area of forest and grassland...**

 **8:00 AM; December 2, 20XX**

"So that is the plan?" remarked Assam, as she sweated a little at the sight.

Darjeeling led the coalition of tanks, standing on top of the Centurion's turret. On her right, Miho followed, standing on top of her own Panzer tank. The other four Ooarai tanks followed closely behind, while Rosehip's Crusader thundered ahead like a wild dog. A large flock of birds flew above the Crusader, shadowing its every move.

"But how will they help again?" asked Assam.

"The vultures will be the distraction," said Miho. "They are a lot bigger than the vultures we have read. Plus, the Crusader will aid in the distraction; its engines provide both speed and sound, both of them integral to a successful distraction."

"The Crusader is the bait," Orange Pekoe remarked.

"Double bait," Darjeeling said. "Have you heard the saying? 'Kill two birds with one stone.'"

"That's..." Orange Pekoe trailed off, thinking. "Its origin is vague."

"Life is full of mysteries," Darjeeling remarked, sipping her tea.

"Ah!" Momo groaned, coming out of her team tank. "That's the meaning of it! You're playing with us!?"

"Calm down," Yuzu's voice echoed from inside of the Hetzer. "I think that she also means that this plan is doing two things at once."

"Two things at once?!" Momo continued to roar, forcing Yuzu to grab her and pull her down. "What do you mean?!"

"Some are given to rage," Darjeeling mused, sipping her tea. "Remember the plan, Miho-san?"

Miho nodded.

The plan was quite simple, but it was flexible. All of the Chosen girls were split into three teams: Team Red, Team Blue, and Team White. Darjeeling and Orange Pekoe led the Red, riding on their Centurion alongside their partner team: Rabbit Team. Miho led the Blue, riding on her Panzer alongside the Hippo Team. The Hippo, however, had a new guest onboard...

"What is this space?" Assam remarked. "Sorry to say, but I am not used to German tanks' space."

"Never been inside?" Erwin asked, smirking.

"I drove in British tanks and vehicles," Assam replied, sounding a little like a noblewoman. "But this is the first time I have ridden inside of a German tank; I am riding here, only because I need to guide you all."

"And because you are curious," Caesar noted, smirking together with Erwin.

Assam made a face, then recomposed herself. Erwin and Caesar both snickered, while Saemonza turned around, smiling.

"Be-be quiet," Assam replied, blushing a little. "P-please."

Anzu herself led the Team White, her Hetzer moving alongside the Duck Team and Rosehip's Crusader. The Crusader would join the Team, once it fulfilled its short but crucial mission of distraction. Hence, Team Red is composed of a Centurion and a M3 Lee, while Team Blue is composed of a Panzer IV and a StuG III. Team White is essentially the "charge group," composed of the fastest tanks: Type 89, Hetzer, and Crusader.

In the distance, a flock of black birds continued to fly ahead, as the Crusader drove on.

"Boy," Orange Pekoe shivered, as she filled a cup with tea. "Miho makes friends out of not only enemies, but also even animals."

"Talking animals," Darjeeling mumbled, accepting the teacup and sipping it. "How many vultures were there?"

"At least a hundred," Assam's voice echoed through the radio. "Apparently, the California condor seemed to have friends, and somehow got them all to work with us. But this...is both unexpected and weird."

"Good thing they are better than zombies," Darjeeling remarked.

Suddenly, EVERYBODY inside of the tank shivered, and Darjeeling dropped her teacup.

"Maybe..." she whispered. "I should not have said that."

"Darjeeling-san!" Miho's voice echoed from the outside. Darjeeling got out, exposing her upper half to the elements.

"Yes?"

"Remember to ignore what the birds are doing," she called out. "Let them do as they wish; they are still animals, they told me. We'll focus on our missions, and hope the best."

"Hope the best..." Darjeeling mumbled, as the vultures in the distance flew farther and farther away, advancing towards the city with incredible speed.

* * *

 **Darjeeling's Hideout, Lincoln Forest, San Gloria Empire**

 **10:00 AM; December 2, 20XX**

"So that is the plan?" remarked Assam, as she sweated a little at the sight.

"And they are doing a good job," Assam uttered, sweating at the chaos.

All of the tanks barely arrived within the sighting distance, but they all already saw the onslaught. Despite being birds, the vultures were doing a great job with harassing the troops.

"Augh!" some soldiers roared, flailing their arms and weapons. Some tried to shoot down the birds, which dodged the gunfire quite easily. Some continued to fly about, while most landed.

"Get away!" a few girls screamed, running away.

"If there is one weakness we have," Orange Pekoe muttered. "It's that we hate being dirty."

"Better not say that," Darjeeling whispered.

"Heard it!" Yuuki and Anzu's voices blared through the radio.

"Uh oh."

The chaos continued to spread across the city, as numerous girls screamed, fleeing the sudden onslaught of the scavengers. Outside of the walls, the Crusader roared, driving back and forth, causing the troops to fire at it, only to be pecked in the face by the vultures.

"Wo-ho!" Rosehip shouted with delight. "Take this!"

The Crusader revved up its engine, causing its already-loud noise to boom even louder.

"Get the tank!" one soldier screamed, only to be struck by a vulture.

"Augh!" another screamed. "What the-where did they come from?"

"The Crusader-ouch!"

"Get that-ow!"

"What the-augh!"

"Condor-san has brought plenty of reinforcements," Darjeeling noted. "Miho-san, do you know them all?"

"No," she replied. "Our friend Condor-san brought them in."

They watched from a distance, as the tanks rolled by. At least 150 vultures of all kinds of shapes and sizes flew into the city, while the Crusader, after a few seconds, fled the scene, slamming into a deep patch of forest.

"Brrghh!" Mako shivered, as she drove the tank. "I hate to be there..."

"What vultures are they?" Saori wondered out loud.

Mako clicked a button, and a video screen popped out, allowing her to watch from afar. Miho noticed a telescopic camera pop out from nearby her cupola. Miho also noticed the bushes crashing and moving in the distance, where the Crusader was trying to catch up to the teams.

"Nine Old World vulture species," she replied. "Egyptian, white-rumped, slender-billed, white-backed, Cape, hooded, red-headed, lappet-faced, and white vultures."

"Old World?" Hana asked.

"There are two types of vultures," Mako explained. "In Africa, Asia, and Europe, we have Old World vultures. In the New World, the Americas, we have New World vultures, which are different."

"They are?" asked Hana.

"California condor," said Mako. "But I see a black vulture which looks a little different from the usual one...and two condors that look quite different."

Miho looked through her binoculars. Sure enough, Condor-san was leading one charge, pecking at an apparent general. While fending him off, another condor, which looked like the condor but larger and with especially larger head and beak, grabbed a soldier's helmet...and crushed it with ease. Another one, which swooped down upon another, looked like a condor but with a slender beak and long legs.

"Interesting," remarked Assam, as the tanks continued on. "All the soldiers now left their posts on this side of the city. If I were them, I would ensure that at least a few would be here."

Suddenly, the Crusader appeared from behind, crashing into the scene.

"Watch it!" Momo screamed, as the Crusader almost crashed into the back of the Hetzer.

"Sorry!" Rosehip shouted, coming out with her face a little dirty. "Boy, that was epic!"

"A good lesson to learn," Darjeeling replied, as they entered a particularly dense area of forest. "And Rosehip, please calm down."

"Yes, Darjeeling-sama!" she replied with a salute.

After creeping through the forest, the girls sighted it.

It was a rectangular tunnel, with water cascading down out of it, running down into the woods. It also had a flat, concrete slide below, so that it was easy to drive the tanks up into it.

"At least the water looks clean enough," Peko mumbled, as the girls drove into the abyss.

"And we're in," Miho replied, her voice echoing. "Girls, panzer vor."

* * *

 **Sorry for the delay; it's been a while. I decide that I am going to try and finish the San Gloria arc, then take a break from it, in order to rest and recharge. For my 8 favorited people and 15 followers, thank you for your consistent support.**

 **Hopefully, the next chapter will come out soon...**


	19. Hiatus

**Greetings from SeekerMeeker. This is a new special announcement.**

* * *

 **Hiatus**

For all of the eight likers and 15 followers, thank you for all your support. It's been a great adventure, as I learn to hone the art of writing.

 **Major update: based on my polls, and reading words of advice from some of my fellow friends and reviewers, I have decided to keep this story on an official hiatus.**

Yes, I have heard your replies, so I decide to keep this story open for now. It is NOT closed or ended, but will be shelved for the time being, as I figure out the next steps in writing.

Once again, I honestly believe that my writing is improving again and again. Every time I improve, I learn more of myself. For example (from each story I attempted):

-"Despicable New Year's Eve": among my earliest stories, this was my first attempt at crossover. I learn that fusing characters from two universes was a LOT more difficult than expected.

-"GDR: Finnish Fury": I forgot about this story, because I mostly can focus on only one story at a time.

-"Girls Dead Rise: War of California": the only LONG story that I managed to finish, I realize that my story needed to stop at a point.

-"Girls und Odyssey": my attempt at science fiction, it was this story that made me realize that I am more into fantasy.

-"Welcome to America, GuP": an urban fantasy AU, I lost steam with this story.

Due to the relative popularity of my "Girls Wild Rise," it will be on hiatus, but I have learned to be careful with NOT putting too many ideas into a story. I have to simplify, because this story now has so many ideas, from magical objects to all kinds of crazy factions. Hence, it will be open but I am not sure how long the hiatus will be.

 **So, thank you for your opinions. Continue to PM me if you have questions, and let's go.**

* * *

 **Thank you so much, and panzer vor.**


	20. A New Story

**Greetings from SeekerMeeker. I have another announcement.**

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 **A New Story**

For all of the eight likers and 15 followers, thank you for all your support. It's been a great adventure, as I learn to hone the art of writing. In fact:

 **I am officially confirming that I have a new story in the works.** This time, I intend to use my lessons from previous writings, and try and make another story. I hope that this one will be easier to write, so that I can write a story that I can finish and be proud of, like "Girls Dead Rise: War of California."

Basically put, this story will be my effort to "simplify" yet "improve" upon my previous writings, and hope to write a story that I know that I can publish. I hope that if all goes well, this story will be worth my time.

"Girls Wild Rise: Endangered Warfare" is still on hiatus, but I put this, in order to let others know that I have a new story in planning!

 **Please PM me for any questions and/or concerns, and thank you so much for the adventure of writing and reviewing with me!**

Sincerely,

SeekerMeeker

P.S. When I said a "new story," I mean one for the T-rating. I actually have one M-rated story, but read at your discretion; it is my first try at M-rated story.

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 **Thank you so much, and panzer vor.**


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